Solace
by R.J.North
Summary: Private Jamie Roe wanted nothing more than to keep what happened to her quiet, and so did the other surviving members of her platoon. However, SHIELD is far too pushy to let that happen, and it seems Jamie's sense of justice and duty to protect the innocent are just too strong to ignore. Perhaps it's for the best, because keeping secrets can be pretty lonely.
1. Ab Ovo

**I know, I know. I'm posting another story? Well, honestly, I've had most of this one planned for a long time, sitting on my flash drive just waiting for me to post it. So, I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think. It's only the first chapter, so most of it is setting thing up, giving you information. There will be about three chapters kind of like this one, more set up chapters than anything, but they are important.**  
 **Again though, I hope you enjoy and please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!**

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Chapter 1  
Ab Ovo

As her green eyes opened Jamie saw the same thing that she had seen every day when she woke up for almost year. Concrete walls, concrete floors, and one wall that was just bars besides the barred door that was built into it. Just beyond that barred door and wall was a concrete hallway that she had been dragged down time after time again. She wasn't stuck in that cell all the time, sometimes she was stuck in a lab, but whenever she did get to sleep or was knocked out, she always woke back up in that very room.

Private Jamie Roe of the U.S. Marine Corps had been held hostage for almost a year from what she counted. It could've been more, could've been less, but there wasn't really a way for her to be sure. All she knew was that she had been there a long time. Long enough where people stopped looking for her and the platoon. They were most likely pronounced dead. She didn't blame them if they had. They _had_ been gone for a long time.

And most of the people in the platoon _were_ dead. She knew that for curtain. Her cell was the last one in their hallways, right next to the furnace that heated the facility they were being held in. That was where they threw the dead bodies. Jamie had seen far too many people from her platoon being dragged there, their bodies lifeless. She had smelt far too much burning flesh. Nobody should've had to go through that. Never.

However, Jamie knew she wasn't the last one either. On the other end of that hallway of cells was another door and hallways. To get to the labs they had to bring her down that hallway and when they did that, she could see the other cells and the people who were in them. Most of her squad was dead, but there was one other person from her squad that was still there.

Private Roe and Corporal Aaron Sanders were two of the only five survivors of the experiments being down to their platoon. The other three were Master Sergeant Henry Scott, Sergeant Patrick Hendricks, and Private James Roberts. She was the only female of the three that had been there.

It was all about her genes too. The experiments they were conducting were only capable of working if someone had the right genes. Whatever her coding was, it was working. She was surviving and she had no idea why. Why her and not someone else? Why just those five people? Why were they alive?

And why were the people doing it to them anyways? Jamie had assumed that they were members of al-Qaeda. She assumes they were conducting the experiments because they wanted to find a way to fight back. They were desperate and needed to find some way to do what they were doing. And what better way to perfect their tests than to test it on the enemy, killing dozens in the process before it was safe to use on themselves?

Jamie's head snapped to the side as she heard the door on the other end of the hall slam open. That was the side with the labs. That meant one of three things. One: they were coming to take one of them for the tests. Two: they were bringing someone back to their cell. The last one was the one she dreaded most. Three: they were bringing another dead comrade to the furnace. She prayed to God it wasn't the last one.

There was an unsettling sound though. It was the sound of dragging. That only left choices two or three. That didn't make Jamie feel any better. That was when she caught sight of two armed guards dragging a body past her. It was the worst of the two. Another one of them was dead. Now there were only four of them and another family back in the states that would never see their loved one again. Not that Jamie or the others really believed that they were ever going to get out of there.

Jamie got up from the floor and walked over to the bars, grasping them with her hands to steady herself so that she wouldn't fall over. She had to see who it was. She needed to know. The person had short blonde hair that was filthy, making it look almost brown. His skin was just as filthy. However, the moment she saw the small scar on the man's face, just under his right eyes, she knew who it was. It was Master Sergeant Henry Scott.

Jamie didn't know MSgt Scott very well. She had been in Captain Martin's – who had been dead for several months now – squad, but she had seen him work. He was a devoted man. He was great at his job and she admired him. Now he was gone. He didn't deserve that. None of them deserved what they were doing to them.

As they went into the furnace room, Jamie moved back to the wall and slid down it until she was sitting in the dirt. She couldn't help but let out a sigh. One by one they were all dying. There wasn't anything she could do about it either. If she could've, then she would've, but she was in just as bad of condition as the rest of the men that were there.

Just the four of them. That was all that was left of the 28 people in their platoon. Just four.

The furnace room door opened once more and the two guards walked out, guns in hand. Instead of walking all the way back down the hall they stopped at Jamie's cell door and opened it. They grabbed her forcefully by her forearms and dragged her out. She could hear her cell door swing shut, just as she had every time they took her out. She always wished it'd be the last time she had to hear it. Not in the sense that she wanted to die (However, in a ways she did. Just to get away from the torture and pain.) but in the sense that she could go home.

The two guards were speaking. She couldn't understand them, but she had figured out that they were speaking Arabic. She could speak English, – of course – French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, German, and Italian, but not Arabic. She had lived all over the world growing up. Her father had been a Marine as well. That and it was just easy for her to pick up on the languages in classes growing up.

As she was being dragged, Jamie caught a glimpse Patrick Hendricks. He was sitting against the back wall of his cell, just like she had been doing so earlier. His brown eyes were staring down at the floor. She knew he had seen the guards dragging out MSgt Scott. He had known him for years. She had known that much. And seeing your friends die off one by one was painful not only mentally, but also physically. She knew how he was feeling. However, he was the last one from his squad. Everyone else: Private Roberts and Corporal Sanders were both from her squad. She didn't know what it was like to be the last one from your squad alive and she really hoped she didn't have to find out.

She also got a peek into Roberts, Henderson and Sanders' cells. Even though they had seen Scott being dragged by, they still managed to look at her as she was dragged away. They were giving her looks of sympathy and wishing her luck, just hoping she'd be okay. Hendricks used to give her that look, but she could tell he was broken.

Jamie had seen that broken look far too much as well. Every time someone got that look, it wasn't long before it was them that were being dragged to the furnace. That was unsettling. A lot of things were unsettling where they were. She was surprised she wasn't like that yet. Really, she didn't know what was keeping her from going insane like a lot of their platoon had. Maybe she was stronger than them? Maybe she was just heartless…Either way, she was alive. She didn't know for how long though.

The young soldier was taken to a room she had never been to before, but she made sure to not each hallway they took to get there. She may have been trapped there for almost a year, but she was still a Marine and she had hope. Not a lot, but enough where she kept her guard up. Once a soldier, always a soldier. She had to keep going. For the sake of her country and the lives of the three men still with her.

Jamie was strapped into what looked like a dentist's chair and was left there by the two guards. She didn't know where they were going, but she was left there all alone. She tried tugging on the leather straps that had around her wrists and her ankles, but she was weak. She could barely walk when she went to the bars to see who had passed away that time. It was understandable though. They barely fed them and the experiments were torture.

It was hell to say the least.

Waiting there didn't help. Jamie hated to feel exposed and weak and that was exactly what she was. There was nothing she could do for herself. No way to protect herself. She was just their little play things. She was there at their disposal. Whatever they wanted to do to her, they could because she couldn't defend herself like she usually always could.

Suddenly the door opened and a small man walked in. He had no hair, much like the rest of the men who were guards there, but this man was too small to be a guard. Considering his arms had little muscle on them, it was understandable that she thought that. He was also a lot skinnier and dirtier than the rest of the men around there, even the men who weren't the guards like the scientists.

It spiked her curiosity. This guy was knew and by the looks of it, the expression on his face was what tipped her off the most, he wasn't there because he wanted to be. So they sort of had something in common. However, she wasn't going to say that out loud because what did she know really?

The man walked over to the sink and walked his hands. After doing so he put on a pair of rubber gloves and walked over to the little wheeling stool that was at the desk across the room. He kicked it over to the chair Jamie was strapped to and sat in it in front of her, looking her straight in the eyes.

The man had dark brown eyes that almost looked black from the way the light was shining in the room. She just stared intently at him, giving him no emotion. Well, a glare was showing hatred and anger, but she didn't let them see how broken she really was. How each minute they were there she was losing hope. It was a surprise that she had any left seeing as she had been there for that long of a duration.

"Hello," he said. He had a very thick Arab accent.

 _Well_ , Jamie though. _It's kind of refreshing to have someone speaking English._ She thought that, but she didn't really show much else of an expression on her face. Yes, maybe a little confusion, but honestly, who wouldn't when they were in her position and someone walking in and just says hello like nothing was really wrong? It was unbelievable.

"My name is Amir," he introduced. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while his hands were clasped together. "I am a doctor." He shrugged like it was nothing important. He shifted uncomfortably once again, sitting up straight this time and crossing his legs, his hands still folded, but resting in his lap. "I am new."

 _Well, I can see that,_ Jamie thought bitterly.

"What is your name?" he asked. A curious look was on his face.

 _Does he think he's my pal?_ She asked herself. _What's the point of this? I'm just their experiment. My name isn't important to them._ Since he didn't get a response and her glare was still holding steady, he cleared his throat and shifted once again. She was pleased that she was making him so uncomfortable.

"Okay," he said, leaning forward like he had the first time. "I am going to be frank with you on this. I do not want to be here."

 _That's obvious._

"And I know you do not either."

 _That's even more obvious._

"So, I am going to be truthful and tell you that I am here against my will as well."

That spiked her curiosity. What did he mean he was there against his will? She wasn't buying it. They were just telling her that to get their trust, to trick her. Yet, why would they do that? They didn't need her trust for anything. No matter what, they were going to conduct their little project on her and continue to torture them all. Sooner or later they would all be dead from the conditions they were being kept in. It was a wonder how they hadn't died so far.

"I see you are confused," Amir stated. "I just wanted to let you know that we are alike."

She couldn't hold back on that one. "We are _nothing_ alike," she spat. Her throat was hoarse and dry from lack of water. It was also much colder than she remembered it being. However, it was understandable. She hadn't spoken in months. The only sound that had come out of her mouth was occasional screams of pain from the torture they put her through.

"Ah," he said, shaking his pointed finger at her. "That is where you are wrong, child. You see, I am a good doctor. And since I am a good doctor, these bad men," he shook his head before continuing, "these bad, bad men have taken my wife and child. They are holding them here and if I do not do what they want, they will kill them."

By his tone and expression alone made the girl freeze. Jamie still held her stare, but it was no longer a glare. It was more of just shock and pure tiredness. He was telling the truth. She could tell. She was very good at catching liars. And this man, this Dr. Amir, he was telling the truth and she didn't like it. The poor man. The child…that woman…She didn't like to think of that.

Still not getting a response, Amir stood up and took his gloves off. "All right," he sighed. "I just wanted to introduce myself and to tell you my side of the story." He walked over to the door and was about to open it, but stopped to turn to the girl one last time to say, "All right, I will see you tomorrow."

What Jamie didn't know was that once Amir started to work there, things would be different. Maybe not better, but very, very different.

* * *

The week following Amir's employment Jamie was taken out of her cell far more frequently by their captors. Amir explained to her that he was going to be checking up on her, as well as running several tests to see why she was so compatible with what they were doing to her. She didn't understand why it was so important. It was all torture in her mind, as well as her fellow soldiers. She didn't care why she was still alive, she just wanted to get out of there and actually live.

"You see, I am not fully sure of what I am to be looking for myself," Amir explained to the girl, who was, once again, strapped to her chair while the man listened to her heartbeat. The man sat back, removing his stethoscope and hanging it around his neck. "Mm, steady and strong," he muttered. "That is good."

Amir spun around in his chair, one of those kinds of wheelie chairs children always loved to play on, spinning around in circles. However, Amir merely turned around to the desk and wrote down with his left hand his findings in the folder with all of Jamie's records in it.

Jamie stared at him from behind. She still didn't know what to think of the man. He had been nothing but good to her and that confused her greatly. Yes, he claimed that his family was being held hostage. But how could she be sure he was telling the truth? How could she trust anything the man said to her?

"Have you been having any headaches? Nauseous?" Amir asked, turning back to the girl. "Some insomnia?"

Jamie narrowed her green eyes. Of course she had headaches, nausea and insomnia! She was a prisoner being experimented on! She had those constantly from the lack of food, the fear and whatever drugs they were giving her. It was foolish to think otherwise.

Amir sighed, obviously receiving her glare as the answer to all three. "I wish you would speak to me," he admitted. "It would make this much easier, I assure you."

 _Easier for you_ , Jamie thought. _I'm going to end up dead either way. Might as well make this more difficult for everybody on your side._

"You are a wonder," he told her matter of fact. "I do not understand you."

What wasn't there to understand? She was rude because of the circumstances. She had every right to be. She was going to die whether or not she was polite or rude. They had killed so many of her fellow comrades in arms. Being rude was the easiest choice of the two. It was the only act of defiance she had left.

"With the amount of stress alone is enough to kill a person," he continued. "With the added toxins from the drugs they administer to you and your fellow soldiers, I am surprised that there are a few of you that remain." He sighed, closing the file on the desk. He leaned forward, his elbows resting against his knees. "If I had read it on paper, I would not have believed such a thing. Yet, here you and your comrades are. Defying my logic. And you," he emphasized, pointing at the girl, "you are extraordinary."

Amir turned, looking at several of the files opened on the table behind him. "Those men out there are what I would have pictured a specimen to look like with the toxins ingested. They are what I expected to examine. You," he muttered, turning back to point at her, "You look healthy, strong even. You're body seems to be taking in these toxins and converting them into useful material. That is why these bad men are so interested in you."

Healthy? _Healthy_? How could she possibly be healthy? She had never felt worse! How could he possibly think she was getting stronger in that hellhole?

"From what I hear, they want to intensify their experiment," Amir said. "Only on you, as whatever is working for you, is not for your friends. I believe they plan on disposing of them."

"Disposing," Jamie muttered in disgust. "You make it sound like they're trash. They're not. They're _living_ people. _We_ are living people!"

"I am aware of this," he stated. "It is why I am here; to ensure your survival."

"To," Jamie muttered, her words trailing off in disbelief. The woman scoffed. "To ensure _my_ survival? What about _them_? Huh? What about their lives?"

"I will do my best to ensure that their health improves," he informed her.

"Oh you will, will you?" Jamie scoffed. "Well, forgive me if I don't believe you."

"You are forgiven," he said, as if what she said hadn't been rhetorical. "If I were in your position, I would not believe me either. That is why I plan on proving my point to you. I _will_ do my best to ensure all of you survive."

 _I can only hope you're telling the truth._

* * *

Bombs going off and gunfire always set Jamie's adrenaline into overdrive. But she was used to it. It was something she could handle perfectly fine. Running into a building with hostile fire? No problem. She'd get the job done. Having to put down a dog that had taken to human flesh from deceased people? Hard, but doable. Showing up the men in their platoon with her sniper skills? _Extremely_ satisfying.

What she _couldn't_ handle were needles.

And that was what Jamie had to deal with every day while she was in captivity. Needles to administer drugs. Needles to take blood. Needles on highly sensitive pressure points (for what she assumed were her torture methods as well as research in some sick way).

She was having a substantial amount of blood taken that day, Amir was sitting next to her in his swivel chair, her arms and legs tied down as he worked. Jamie had her green eyes squeezed shut, biting her lip as she tried to focus on anything other that the little needle in her vien.

"Not a fan of needles, I see," Amir muttered with a small chuckle. "Neither is my daughter."

Amir talked about his daughter and wife quite often. So much so that Jamie was starting to believe that he actually had a family, and that there was a slight chance he was telling her the truth about his situation. Which mean, if she was ever going to escape with the rest of her men, she was going to have to worry about getting Amir and his family out safely too.

"What's she like?" Jamie asked, trying to distract herself.

"Hm?" he sounded, looking back up at the girl. "What is my Dunya like?" he asked. "Well, she is quiet. She enjoys reading. She is very intelligent."

"Your wife?" Jamie pressed.

"My wife is beautiful," Amir stated, a far off look in his eyes. "Her name is Rima. It was an arranged marriage, but I do love her. She has made me a better man." He cleared his throat, looking back up at the girl questioningly. "And yourself? Are you married?"

"No," Jamie stated.

"Do you have any other family?" he asked. "They must miss you."

"No," she answered. Her mother, whom she had only seen pictures of had died of breast cancer when she was two. The only reason she knew what she looked like was from the picture her dad had of the whole family, shortly after Jamie was born. After that, her mother didn't like her picture taken, seeing as she was frail, visibly weak and had lost all of her long curly brown hair. Her father and brother had both been deployed after 9/11 and both had died in duty. "Nobody."

"I am sorry to hear that," he told her. "What about those men? Are they not like your family?"

"I suppose you could say that," Jamie thought. "We have each others backs."

The man slowly took out the needle, replacing it with a cotton swab and a bandage. "And there," Amir said. "That was not so bad, was it?"

"It's better than the drugs," Jamie admitted.

"I suppose you are correct," he sighed. "I am very sorry about this, child."

"You and me both, Doctor," Jamie muttered.

* * *

Jamie was getting used to having her blood taken. She still hated needles, but she found talking to Amir helped distract her enough that she could ignore it. It wasn't all that smart of her to do, seeing as she really didn't know the man, and whatever she told him could eventually be used against her in some way if he wasn't who he said, or if the other people on base overheard.

"It's a two way mirror, isn't it," Jamie stated, starting at the large mirror almost covering the entire wall to her right. She always hated that it was there. For one, whoever was behind it could see and hear her without her knowing. And she also got to see just how terrible she looked.

Her cheeks were sunken in from the inadequate, nutrition. Her skin pale from the lack of sunlight, though due to the abundance of dirt and grime caking her skin, she appeared to have a deep, uneven tan. The 125 lbs girl had lost nearly thirty pounds, making her around 90 lbs. Under her green bloodshot eyes were black bags from the stress and lack of sleep.

"That it is," Amir informed her. "The guards wait in there to retrieve you when I finish."

"What about the man in charge?" Jamie asked. "Does he ever stay in there? Watching us?"

"Very rarely," he admitted. "He does not leave his lab often."

 _He makes everybody else do his dirty work_ , Jamie thought. "What does he want?" the woman basically begged.

"I do not know," Amir answered. "I do not know why he does this to you."

"I just don't get it," she muttered, looking down at her skinny fingers. "Nothing's happening to me. All this stuff does is make us sick and weak. If he wanted to kill us, it would have been more effective to torture us, unless that's what this is. There are better way of torture."

"I do not believe it is intended to be torture," Amir thought. "Why would I be here if it was?"

"That's a good point," she said. "I just wish I could understand what everybody's saying, you know?"

"I could teach you, if you are interested," Amir offered.

Jamie quickly looked up at Amir. "Really?" she asked. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," he said.

"Thank you," Jamie thanked. "How many of them speak English?"

"Very few," Amir admitted. "In fact, I believe I am one of the only people, other than you soldiers, that is fluent in English. Though my wife and daughter, of course, can speak it. My daughter more so than my wife. She truly is a brilliant girl."

That's interesting, Jamie thought. She figured it was useful information to know. Her conversations with Amir were private because they couldn't understand English. Whatever was said between the American soldiers wouldn't be understood. She didn't know what she would do with that information yet, but it was definitely something.

* * *

For the most part, silence was the only thing present in the air in the cells. Sometimes the screams from the torture could be heard echoing through the hall, and occasionally the Arabic words from patrolling guards were here, but not understood. Jamie, little by little, was starting to understand the language though, with Amir's help. She couldn't really speak it yet, but she could understand basic things of what people said, which lead her to putting the rest of what they were saying altogether.

However, every once in a while, one of them would break down and start screaming. They'd panic, demand to be set free. And the rest of the soldiers couldn't blame them. It was surprising how much sanity they held onto, for not being able to see the outside world, and to be tested on day in and day out.

That didn't mean the breakdowns were any less annoying and troublesome. One of the people, shortly after they had first been taken captive, had such a freak out that the guard shot them on the spot before dragging them down to the furnace. After that, the panic attacks weren't as frequent, but they still occurred.

It was Aaron that was having the freak out this time around. Jamie sat up against one of the cold walls, her head back, gently banging against it as she silently wished for the older soldier to shut his mouth. She couldn't see into the men's cell, and she was slightly thankful that she wasn't being kept in there with them. She knew it had to be much louder in that small cell than it was where she was located.

"Hey, I know you can hear me! Let me out! You can't keep me here! I want to go home! Let me go, Goddammit. I'm not your lab rat! I'm a human being! I have family, same as you! You wouldn't do this to them, would you? Hey, get me out of here!"

"Shut up, Aaron," Patrick grumbled.

"No, how can you just sit there? We have to get out of here! They're going to kill us. How can you just sit there and not help? Well, I'm not doing nothing. I'm gonna get out of here. I still have my whole life ahead of me. I want to get married and have kids and move to the country and have a farm with cows and horses an-"

"Well get out of here," Jamie said, breaking her silence.

"You don't know that," James said from the other cell.

"I do," Jamie corrected. "Because that's what we have to believe. What else do we have, you know? We've got our dog tags, the clothes on our bodies, memories and each other. That's it. To the rest of the world we're dead right now, but we're not. So we're going to have to change that, aren't we?"

Jame shifted so that she could look out of the small barred window. It was nighttime, so the stars were clear and visible in the sky above them. "I won't let them keep us here forever," she stated. "I promise, we'll get out of here, one way or another."


	2. The Making of a Hero

**Disclaimer: I didn't do a disclaimer in he first chapter because everything in it actually did belong to me, as does everything in this chapter. I figured I'd put it in anyway though. I don't know Avengers or Marvel.**

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Chapter 2  
The Making Of A Hero 

Jamie though it was going to be like every other exam she had been put through over the time she had been there. It started out that way. Jamie was dragged out of her cell by two guards. They strapped her to her usual examination table and Amir entered in shortly after. He went through the motions, checking her blood pressure and heart beat. Amir left the girl.

The green eyed girl stared at the door, waiting for the guards to retrieve her to transport her back to her cell. However, ten minutes passed and nobody came. Jamie started to get extremely worried. The people that ran whatever it was they were in were very meticulous when it came to schedules and routine. Something very wrong had to be happening, or good.

Just when she really started to freak out, Amir walked back in with several guards. He stood in front of the girl, with a weary look on his face. "I am so sorry, my dear," he told her. "I tried to talk them out of this, but they only threatened my daughter in turn."

Jamie didn't like the sound of that. She pulled at her bindings, but she was tied down too tightly. Her fidgeting made the guards more nervous though.

"We are going to bring you into the next room and put you in a pod. Once inside, we will expose you to gamma radiation."

Gamma radiation? Jamie's face fell even more. She knew very well that too much exposure to any sort of radiation could kill her or give her cancer, or simply make her sick in a situation she where she most certainly couldn't afford to be sick. She needed all the strength she could get in order to survive that hell.

Jamie struggled more, but it was no use. The guards were in much better health than Jamie. The girl screamed and tried to get out of their hold, but it was no use. Before she knew it, Jamie was forced into the pod. She was strapped down and the top closed over her.

The brunette was panicking. She beat against the cover of the container, desperately trying to escape. Her breathing quickened to the point where she was hyperventilating. "Let me out! Get me out of here! Please! I can't breathe! Get me out!"

Jamie only stopped yelling when the loud machine powered up, freaking her out even more. She tried even harder to break out. She had accepted that she was most likely going to die in their captivity, but she didn't want to die like that.

And then the pain came. If the guards had thought she had been screaming loudly before, it was nothing compared to what she was doing then. Jamie could only try and describe the pain she experienced. It was hard to find the words to depict an accurate representation. It felt as if she was being burned to death, her skin ripped away from her body little by little.

* * *

It was another week before Jamie even had the strength to wake up, let alone become aware of her surroundings. She wasn't so much in pain anymore than uncomfortable. She felt overly energized and it was weird for her, seeing as she had been so tired the whole time she had been captive there.

The second thing that she became aware of was how cold she was. She finally managed to open her eyes, finding that everything around her was blurry, and that her eyes stung whenever she opened them. Shortly after that, Jamie could finally determine the reason she was so cold. She was in water, an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth to allow her to breathe.

That alone freaked her out. When she could move, she kicked out in front of her, hitting the glass container. Her kick forced her backward, her back hitting the other side of the glass. She pushed trying desperately to break it.

She glanced around looking for a way out when she saw that the top was open, with a man leaning over the top to look down at her. When he noticed that she was awake and her eyes on him, she panicked and slammed the metal top shut, trapping her in. What he didn't realize was that in doing so, the top cut off the oxygen that was being fed to her through the mask and tube.

Jamie didn't realize this until all that she had left was water. She thrashed at the glass. She needed to get out of there otherwise shew as going to drown. Being shot in battle, blown up even, was a far better way for her to die, she found. No matter how painful it was, she didn't care. She just didn't want to die at the hands of the mad men that held her and her comrades prisoner.

She wasn't going to die like that. Not if she had anything to do about it.

And with that though, all of that energy that Jamie had felt when she woke up surged through her, almost pulsing through her body. She placed her hands on either side of her on the glass, her feet in front of her, her back against the glass behind and pushed. A blue flaming light blanketed the girl, and as she pushed, radiated out from her, shattering the glass before dissipating.

Jamie fell to the floor onto the slippery floor covered in glass, coughing and gasping for the air her lungs desperately needed. Several feet in front of her was Amir, eyes wide. He was frozen, unaware of what to do, or even how to react.

Before she could do anything else, a needle was jabbed into her neck by someone she hadn't seen or heard behind her. She was out several seconds later.

* * *

The next time Jamie woke up, she was in much more pain than the first. As she had thought before, she felt extremely off, as if something inside her body was odd; different. Whatever was surging through her body was causing her great discomfort, so much so that it had been what woke her up from her slumber.

However, unlike the last time she awoke, Jamie was now strapped down to her usual exam chair. The lights were dimmed, and at first, Jamie thought that they were only running on emergency lights from the generator, but then she realized otherwise. And the color of the lighting was different as well. Instead of the slightly yellow tint from the bulbs above, the room glowed in a soothing light blue.

Despite the pain, Jamie pulled at her restraints, desperate to get out of there. She couldn't take getting poked anymore. She had dealt with it for far too long. She should have come up with a plan with the others a year ago, right after they had been captured, and their numbers were still high. Now there were only four of them. But four was better than nothing, right? They could still get out of there!

"You need to relax."

Jamie's head snapped to her right at the sound of Amir's voice. She didn't know how to take Amir. The man looked exhausted, slumped over in his usual seat. Was this the man that had taught her how to understand the people around her, or was this the man that put her into that radiation chamber? Could she trust him? Had he ever actually been on her side?

"I am glad to see that you are doing well," Amir told her. "But I must insist, for everybody's well being, that you take a deep breathe and relax."

"Relax?" Jamie gaped. "Relax? You want me to relax? What the hell did you people do to me? I-I feel different. Something's wrong! What did you do to me?"

Amir wheeled closer to the girl, making sure to still stay a good distance away from her to make her feel better. He knew he needed to gain her trust back. He leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. The light blue light in the room tinted his skin oddly.

"You took to the radiation far better than Dr. Hull could ever have imagined, though the resulting effects were a shock to everybody," Amir said. "He is quite pleased, though I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing."

"What. Did. It. Do. To. Me?" she demanded.

"The chemicals and drugs accepted into your system in combined with the gamma radiation has somehow created an energy source contained within your body. It wasn't quite the effect Dr. Hull was looking for. He hypothesized that the experiment would result in enhanced strength, speed, senses. In turn, he was presented with an unlimited power source. A clean energy contained within a soldier."

"W-What does that mean?" Jamie wasn't following whatsoever. "An energy source in my body? Clean energy?"

"You said it yourself; you can feel something is different inside of you," Amir said. "That is the energy." Amir sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, one of his legs crossing over the other. "Have you not wondered why the room is blue?"

She had, but she had figured it was the lighting. Looking up again, Jamie focused her eyes on the lights once more, before they widened. The lights weren't on at all.

"Right now, your body is determining if it wants to accept what is occurring, or if it should be rejected. If your body rejects the change, I will not lie, you will die. But, to me, it seems that your body is accepting the change. That is why, as we speak, you body admits this faint light. This light is part of the energy surging through you."

Jamie averted her eyes from the lights, turning her head to the side to look into the two-way mirror on the wall next to her. Blue eyes looked back at her instead of her normal bright green eyes. They widened, staring at the stranger in the reflection.

"M-My eyes?" Jamie gaped. "My eyes are blue. Why are my eyes blue? They're supposed to be green! Where are my green eyes?"

"We discovered that they had changed color when you woke up the first time, in the stabilizing tank," Amir informed her. "They say the eyes are the window to the soul. It appears, in your case, your eyes are the window to your energy."

"I want my eyes back," the young soldier muttered. "T-This isn't right."

"I don't know of a way to get your eyes back for you, child. I am sorry," he said.

"What about the glow? Am I going to be a walking glow stick for the rest of my life?" Jamie muttered.

Amir leaned forward again, "Though, there might be a way," Amir mumbled.

"What?" Jamie asked desperately.

"Your ability is not stable," he said. "You are going to need to learn how to control it. Dr. Hull has already arranged for you to train with several of the strongest guards here. When you learn to control it, perhaps you will not be, how did you put it, 'a walking glow stick,' but that is just a theory."

It was a theory, but it was more than what she had before. She would just have to go with it. It was her only hope if she wanted to return to whatever sense of normalcy she had left.

"This Dr. Hull, he's the guy in charge, isn't he?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, he is, though I wish that you keep that quiet," Amir said. "I was not supposed to mention anything about him, whatsoever."

"He wants to weaponize it," Jamie muttered. "You said he expected the experiment to go differently. To basically created a Super-Soldier."

"That is what I believe, now that all of this has happened," he said. "I remember when I first got here, I had no clue what I was to be looking for, or why it was Dr. Hull was having me inject you soldiers with these chemicals. Now knowing, I wish I did not have any knowledge about it. Perhaps I would have a cleaner conscience."

"So he's making due with what he's given," Jamie muttered in thought. "No matter what, he wants a powerful army. He may not have super strength or speed, but he has energy. Right, like I'd willingly put myself through that. To allow him to get what he wants."

"Perhaps you are not looking at it the correct way," Amir stated.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked. "What other way is there to think? I mean, I'm a soldier. I'm not supposed to aid the enemy."

"No, you see, if you are able to control this ability, and you are able to fight with it, imagine all of the possibilities. You could get each and every one of us out of here. Nobody else would have to go through an experiment like what you have gone through again."

"So you want me to give him exactly what he wants so we can get what we want?" Jamie said. "I don't think so. There has to be another way out of here without giving him that. There is no way I'm helping him."

"I'm afraid it may not be that easy," Amir told her.

* * *

Jamie was kept in that room for two weeks, or so she believed. They had to make sure she was under constant watch, just in case they needed to sedate her quickly. According to Amir, the scientists were working on creating something to neutralize her the energy flow.

It was driving Jamie mad not being able to move whatsoever. Originally, she had thought the small cells they were kept in were unbearable. Now? She just wanted to stand up and stretch her legs. At least in the cells they could stand up and pace several steps.

Amir, once getting confirmation that she wouldn't try anything, unstrapped her arms at least, allowing for her to move her arms and rub her sore wrists. Most of her discomfort was coming from not being able to move now, not the unusual amount of energy pulsing through her body. She was slowly getting used to the foreign feeling.

The glow, however hadn't gone away. With nothing to do as she was strapped to the chair most of the time, Jamie tried to focus on the feeling of the energy moving inside her. She tried to slow it down, hoping that it would help diminish the blue. Nothing seemed to be working though. Perhaps it was because of how annoyed and uncomfortable she was with being tied down the whole time though. It always seemed that when she was extremely agitated the glow would intensify. So maybe the light was also connected to how she was feeling?

Everything was just so new to her. It was like she had to completely learn how to be a different person. Thinking about how different she was now brought her down quite a bit. Amir had to, almost daily, talk the girl out of putting herself down.

And those thoughts seemed to become more frequent as training started. For the first couple of the sessions Jamie refused to partake: which, of course, ended up with her in a complete beatdown. The only helpful thing that came out of those sessions was the knowledge that she healed faster than a regular person due to the new energy coursing through her veins.

The test was to try and get the girl to learn how to turn off the glow around her body. Jamie was forced into a pitch black room, obstacles placed in various places throughout the place to hide behind, or jump on or over, and whatnot. Two other individuals were thrown into the mix. The name of the game was for Jamie to get the glow to disappear in order to prevent the attackers from getting her.

Jamie, of course, couldn't see any of what was going on due to the fact that it was pitch black. It was like when carrying a lantern right next to your face. All you can see is that light, and the darkness around you just seemed so much darker. For the attackers, however, it made it extremely easy to attack her.

Jamie had black eyes, knife wounds that required stitches, broken ribs, but that was almost as severe as the injuries got. The was covered in bruises and was extremely sore and tired, but it was nothing that wouldn't heal rather quickly with her new found healing factor. That didn't mean Amir was any less upset with her for not trying at all when he treated her wounds.

Jamie just didn't want to give into Dr. Hull whatsoever. If that meant she had to get beaten on a regular basis, so be it.

* * *

Jamie lie in her chair, staring down at her hand and she desperately focused on it. her clenched fist. She was getting rather aggravated with herself, as she tried to make the light on her hand go away. Why wouldn't her body listen to her? She just wanted the glow to go away. She just wanted to be normal again. Jamie wanted to be herself.

But how the hell was she supposed to be herself when she glowed like a freaking glowstick? How could she be who she was when she was disgusted even looking at herself in the mirror now? Her didn't even belong to her anymore. When she stared at herself with those vibrant blues, all she could think was how much she missed her green eyes. How she hated the fact that everything about her was different.

Jamie growled in frustration, hitting her head against the back of the seat. Her head didn't stay there for very long though, because a moment later the door opened and Amir walked in, glancing behind him hesitantly as she quickly shut the door. He looked uneasy as he made his way over to the brunette.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked.

"I do not have much time to speak to you alone," he informed her. "Dr. Hull has created a neutralizing agent for your abilities. They feel much safer injection you with it and putting you back in the cells while you are not in training."

"A neutralizing agent?" Jamie asked. "Wait, so they can turn it off?" Jamie was almost overjoyed to hear that. Would that mean she could be normal again? She could get her green eyes back, and stop glowing like a freak?

"Yes, but it is only temporary," Amir said. "The effects wear off. It is also a way to make sure you stay in check. If you do not do what they want, they will not hesitate to use it against you."

"But it'll still make it go away?" Jamie asked hopefully.

"I do not believe you see how much of a gift this ability could be if only you choose to see it as such," Amir said. "You could help save your men, stop this group of people from doing this again, change the world even! How can you be so close minded about this?"

"Closed minded? You're not the one that glows in the dark!" Jamie yelled angrily. "A gift! Even if I ever got out of here, I could never go out in public again without being the center of attention. I would be a walking neon sign!"

"That is only because you choose to not believe in yourself. You are not embracing what has happened. You have not accepted it so you can not possibly learn to control it when all you do it selfishly pity yourself. Perhaps you should stop thinking about yourself and think about your men out there!"

Before anything more could be said, the door opened and in walked two guards. One of which was holding a small handgun. Once the door was closed, Amir moved back, gulping as the guard with the gun raised his hand, pointing the weapon at her.

 _Holy shit, he's going to shoot me,_ Jamie thought. _He said a neutralizing agent, not a bullet! For fucks sake, neutralizing means kill?_

Jamie struggled against her bindings, the energy inside her flaring up even more as she tried desperately, to no avail, to get out of the chairs hold. As the young woman struggled, the blue light surrounding her grew brighter, stronger. The energy recognized her distress, powering up stronger, ready to be used to attack whenever she so desired. This, of course, was not recognized by Jamie.

The change made the guards uneasy. So instead of waiting for the other guards instruction, the guard with the gun fired, landing the shot to the girl's shoulder.

The pain that engulfed Jamie was almost worse than the actual experiment with the radiation. At first it felt like a regular gunshot wound, which wasn't pleasant to begin with. A second after the impact, Jamie felt the neutralizing agent enter her body. Jamie screamed, the liquid fire spreading through her bloodstream. After the fire spread everywhere in her body, she felt much colder, as if someone had injected ice water through an IV.

The brunette stopped thrashing, completely out of breathe, in pain and in exhaustion. Jamie's head turned to the side, her eyes landing on the two-way mirror as the two went to untie her. The blue glow no longer coated her body and her green eyes stared back at her with no emotion whatsoever.

She didn't just feel cold though. She thought she would have been happy to be closer to normal. She thought she's be overjoyed, actually. But instead of feeling those emotions, she just felt empty, as if something was extremely wrong. Originally she thought the new energy was the worst she could feel, that she was completely out of place and that nothing fit; it was all different. But now, with the energy neutralized, all Jamie could feel was wrong.

Perhaps Amir was right. Maybe the energy wasn't what was wrong. Maybe it was Jamie herself for being unable to accept the change.

Jamie was pulled out of the chair like a rag doll. Her feet dragged against the floor, her head and limbs completely lip as they took her back to the holding cells. The two guards stopped for a brief moment, and Jamie heard the doorway to the cells slam against the wall before they continued forward.

The green eyes girl could practically feel the stares of her fellow soldiers as they dragged her limp body down the hallway. She knew she had to appear dead from her appearance and her form. Once they passed their cell and were out of sight, she could hear them turn to one another, whispering quietly.

"If it killed Jamie, what hope do we have," Pat mumbled to the two other men in his cell. "I mean, she was the one most receptive to whatever the hell they're giving us."

"Normally I disagree with you," Aaron muttered. "But you have a point. What are we going to do, James? We can't just sit here and let the same thing happen to us."

Jamie was thrown into her cell, the door slamming shut behind her. She remained motionless on the ground, afraid that if she dared to even shift her lie on her back, that the fiery pain would shoot thru her body once more. Though, perhaps she would have preferred the physical pain instead of the hollow feeling inside of her now.

"We've gotta get out of here," James said.

"I'm not dead," Jamie sighed, speaking loud enough for the group to hear down the cell block.

"Jamie?" Aaron yelled. She heard footsteps, and she assumed he ran towards the cell door, trying to get closer to her to hear her better. "You're alive?"

"Is that what this is?" she muttered coldly. "Living."

"Oh you bitch," he sighed, with an amused huff. She could hear that he was just glad she was alive. "I could have sworn-"

"Where have you been?" Pat interrupted. "It been, like, a month since they last took you!"

"She was back there, obviously," Aaron pointed out. "What did they do to you?"

Jamie sighed, finally shifting to her back with a grunt. She tried to keep off her shoulders, where the small bleeding hole from the neutralizer hit her. With the arm that wasn't in pain, she lifted it up, draping it across her eyes. She was so tired. "I don't want to talk about it," she informed them.

"Jamie," James muttered, his voice filled with an emotion she couldn't recognize without seeing his face. "They didn't," he sighed before continuing, "rape you, did they?"

The brunette shook her head, almost as if they could see her. "No," she stated. "No, they didn't."

"Good, because if they had, I swear to God I would ha-"

"Give it a rest, Aaron," Jamie interrupted. Of course her best friend would say something like that. He had threatened to kill her last boyfriend that cheated on her. Of course he would react the same way to the thought of her being raped. "They didn't. I'm...I'm okay."

She wasn't okay, but what else was she supposed to say? "I'm a glowing freak of nature?" They wouldn't believe that. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't gone through it herself.

She barely even believed it now.

* * *

 **The first chapter of this story got a lot more followers and favorites than I originally thought it would get. So thank you guys so much for that! If you guys liked it, please review. The more reviews and comments I get, the better the story could get, so please leave your feedback! Thanks guys and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thanks for to the following for their reviews:**

 **seasidewriter1: Thank you so much for checking this out. It really means a lot to me. I'm also glad you liked it, and wondered how they were going to get out. I was hoping somebody would think forward and question that. You shall see soon enough, I promise. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as well, or more so than the first (a writer can always hope) and I can't wait for another update with _We Are The Warriors_. **

**mun3litKnight: I'm glad your interested in the story! Thank you so much for reviewing. It means a lot to me. It won't be too much longer for you to wait to really see where it's going to go, and what Jamie's roll is going to be. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.**


	3. A Mind Made Up

**Disclaimer: I do not known DC or Marvel. I do, however, known Jamie and her fellow soldiers in this chapter, as well as all of the guards and scientists and docs. Basically this whole chapter is original...**

* * *

Chapter 3  
A Mind Made Up

It was one of those rare times when Jamie finally managed to fall asleep. She used her arm as a pillow. She curled up into the smallest ball she could in order to keep herself warm as the dirt cells due to the drop in temperature that always came with nightfall, plus, with the guards injecting her with the neutralizer every couple of hours, there was no way for her to get warm with the after chill the gunshot always caused. Jamie would always curl up in the far left corner, wedging herself there in an attempt to keep as much body heat as possible.

However, just like always, her sleep was interrupted by the door at the far end of the corridor opening. The loud bang as the door hit the wall startled the girl, forcing her body to react instinctively. She jumped up to her feet, slowly making her way to the towards the cell door. She could heard several men hustling down the hallway.

 _Something's wrong,_ Jamie thought, her brow furrowing together. She glanced over her shoulder to the cell window, which let in a very dim light from the moon far above their heads. It was far too high for her to reach and even if she could, it was barred so she wouldn't have been unable to escape even if she wanted to. _They never come this late._

Several of the footsteps stopped farther down the corridor from Jamie, indicating that Aaron, Patrick and James were getting taken out. What really got her nervous though was the fact that there were two other pairs of footsteps heading down towards her still. Not once, never had more than one captive out of the cells at the same time. It was always just one.

So when Jamie was dragged out of her cell and lead down the hallway with the three male soldiers in front of her, the brunette couldn't help but think that they were all going to be shot in the back of the head. They'd want to get rid of the evidence of the experiments being down there so they could make a break for it, of they were going to take them with them to another location to further the testing, which was almost more terrifying than the thought of being executed.

The group of soldiers were forced into an empty room. The four Americans were shoved down to their knees facing the far wall opposite of the door, their hands placed behind their heads. The group of guards retreated back to the wall with the door, standing against it with their guns drawn. The guns were aimed at the innocent captives.

 _This is it, they're going to shoot us execution style,_ Jamie thought, her eyes squeezing shut tightly. She gulped, lowering her head slightly in disbelief. She couldn't believe that shew as actually going to die that way. She was going to be shot in the back.

However, as the seconds ticked by and no shots were fired, Jamie gained the courage to look down the line at the rest of her fellow soldiers. Why weren't they dead yet?

Sergeant Patrick Hendricks was right next to her, his eyes squeezed shut, just like Jamie's had been seconds before. The twenty-seven year old was tall, and had been quite muscular, but due to the lack of working out and the scarce food, his muscle density had drastically decreased. His handsome face was pale and his brown, playful eyes were no longer light and carefree. His short brown hair had grown out down to his shoulders, making him look much older than he really was.

Corporal Aaron Sanders was on Patrick's other side. Aaron was another tall, muscular male. He retained more of his muscle mass than either of the males. His deep, rich, caramel skin was dusted in dirt from their cell floors, his brown eyes looking down the line to James to his right, then the other side where they met with Jamie's green eyes. His eyes silently asked her if she knew what was going on, to which she silently replied with a no.

Private James Roberts was the last one in the line. He was the family man of the group, the oldest of the remaining soldiers. The redhead had two children that took from him, with his red hair and hazel eyes. The children didn't resemble their mother in the least bit, taking every single aspect of their appearances from their father.

It had to kill him being away from his family. Jamie knew what it was like worrying about family members overseas, her father and brother both had been in the military before she joined. Both of which had lost their lives in the line of duty. She knew what his wife and children were feeling. They were all declared dead, that was for curtain. And to actually be alive and kept away from them like that? Jamie had no idea how that felt. She had no family to miss her, to feel bad for putting them threw all of that.

Pat finally opened his eyes. He looked over at Aaron before glancing at the much smaller woman to his left. "What the hell's going on?" Patrick asked in the most hushed voice he could muster in order for the guards to not hear.

Jamie just shook her head slightly, trying not to tip off the guards. A beating was something she surely didn't want right then, especially not when they had their guns pointed at them.

"Shut up, Pat," Aaron whispered harshly.

"Why aren't we dead yet?" he rambled, ignoring Aaron. "I-I mean, this is an execution, right?"

"Shut up, are you trying to get us killed?" Aaron shot back.

"Just calm down, Pat," Jamie whispered. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done it already." _I think._

It did seem extremely odd though. Why would they take all of them out of their cells if they were going to execute them? Why not just do it back in the cells where it didn't matter if they got messy? And so if they weren't going to kill them, why move them? Were they cleaning the cells, though Jamie highly doubted that. Were they going to move them to a new holding area? That didn't seem all too likely. The compound they were in was big, but not big enough to have another cell block.

Before Pat could say something else, one of the guards, speaking Arabic, instructed them to get up. The men all exchanged looks, unaware that the man had told them to get to their feet. Jamie did as instructed, which earned her odd looks from the other men, but the followed her lead. The group was led back to the cells, where they were all put into the same one; the males cell.

"Well, that was pointless," Aaron grumbled, plopping down onto the dirt floor. "At least we have Jamie's company now."

"Hello?"

The group exchanged looks before rushing up to the bars. There were more people in there with them. How did they not know that? That had to have been the reason they moved them out of there. They wanted to make sure there were no incident as they moved the new people in.

In the cell directly across from them were four other individuals, all male. By their accents and uniforms, Jamie was able to determine they were English. Most likely members of the Royal Marines.

"Who are you?" James asked the new group.

"They're Royal Marines," Jamie stated, studying the face of the man in the front of the pack.

"We are," he said, studying their own group over. It was fairly obvious they could tell they had been there for quite a while. They were all in pretty rough condition, and that did not bode well for the English. "Who are you?"

"United States Marine Corps," James answered. "Private James Roberts."

"Colour Sergeant Cameron Rhys," he introduced, nodding his head slightly.

Rhys was tall, muscular and extremely good looking, to say the least. And his accent made him ten times sexier. However, Jamie wasn't really concentrating on the physical appeal of the blue eyed Englishman. She was more focused on the entire group, not just the blond in the front.

"How long have you been here?" the slightly smaller brunet right beside Rhys asked.

"More than a year," Patrick informed them. "I'm Sergeant Patrick Hendricks," he introduced.

"I'm called Corporal Graham," the brunet introduced. "Owen Graham."

Graham was another phenomenally handsome soldier. Though not as tall or muscular as Rhys, Graham could still hold his own. His light brown, almost dirty blond hair was nearly shaved all the way off, his hazel eyes still light and playful, which Jamie hoped stayed that way. She didn't want captivity and the experiments to corrupt the man.

"How did you get captured?" Aaron asked.

"We were running a training exercise outside of our base," Rhys answered. "It was a simple scouting operation."

"And where was your base?" James asked.

"Italy," the short black haired male beside Graham answered. He wore the same patch as Graham, meaning he was a corporal as well. His bright green eyes, even brighter than Jamie's, were hesitant, obviously worried for their safety. Jamie could just make out the writing on his chest: Dove.

"Well, you're a long way from Italy, Corporal," Jamie said. "We're in Qatar."

"Qatar?" the last remaining Marine said. He narrowed his brown eyes, rubbing a hand over his shaved brown hair. "How the hell did we end up in Qatar?"

Jamie narrowed her eyes. This Shearer, from the name on his jacket, was not as level headed as the other soldiers. Jamie could tell he was the youngest of the group, with his extremely young looking face and his small stature.

"Perhaps we were unconscious longer than we believed," Rhys thought aloud. "Do you know who has us? And why?"

"No," Patrick answered. "We've got no idea. We're just they lab rats."

"Lab rats?" Graham asked.

Before they could go any further into it, Jamie jumped in. "His name's Dr. Hull," Jamie corrected. "He wants to create the perfect Super-Soldier."

"How do you know that?:" Aaron asked.

"Amir," Jamie said. "We talk."

"And you trust him?" Patrick gaped.

Jamie shrugged. "I-I guess? He's helped me," she said. "He makes sure we don't die. He's teaching me Arabic, that's how I knew what they were saying earlier. And he keeps giving me information. Plus, he says they have his wife and daughter."

"He could just be telling you that, you know," Shearer told her.

"You don't think I haven't thought of that myself?" Jamie retorted. "I've been here much longer than you have."

"And who's fault is that for getting caught and not escaping?"

"Like you should be talking," Jamie spat back.

"Is that right, little girl?"

"Little girl?" Jamie scoffed. "How old do you think I am, kid?"

"Private Shearer," Rhys warned. "Mind your tongue. A fellow soldier deserves your respect, and if not respecting the woman, respect the rank."

"We're the same rank," Shearer argued. "And it's fairly obvious she doesn't respect us."

 _Oh, no, It's just you I don't respect,_ Jamie thought.

"Jack," Corporal Graham warned.

"Perhaps we should all just take a moment to breathe, regain our composure," that part was clearly directed at Jack with the glare the Sergeant was shooting at him, " and get on the same page here," Rhys said.

"Yeah, that's probably best," Aaron said. "I'm Corporal Sanders," he introduced.

"And you were saying that this Doctor…" Rhys started to ask the girl.

"Dr. Hull," Jamie added in for him. "I've only ever seen him once, he doesn't come around us much, but Amir says he's the guy running the show. That he wants an army of powerful soldiers at his disposal and we're their test subjects."

"And Amir is…?" Graham asked.

"Dr. Amir Assaf," Jamie said. "He's as much a captive here as we are. His, uh, family is being held hostage as assurance for his cooperation." Jamie leaned up against the wall next to her, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's here as our personal doctor. He makes sure that we live."

"Or kills us," Aaron muttered. "The guys the one that's been injecting chemicals into us, after all."

"He hasn't been doing it lately though," Pat muttered.

That caught Jamie's attention. "What do you mean?"

"The whole time you were gone back there, they stopped experimenting on us," Aaron said. "It was like their attention was fulling on something else."

"That something else being me," Jamie muttered.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Rhys asked. "What kind of experiments are these?"

"First they inject you with a variety of chemicals and drugs," Jamie said. "That's the stage these guys are still in."

"And you aren't?" Dove asked.

Jamie sighed, shaking her head. "No," she answered. "Stage Two is gamma exposure. A shit ton of it too."

"What exactly is gamma radiation?" Shearer asked.

"Gamma radiation emission occurs when the nucleus of a radioactive atom has too much energy. It often follows the emission of a beta particle," Dove explained. "His exposure can cause diarrhea, headache, hair loss, skin burns, poor healing, even cancer."

"Yeah, well, in combination with Stage One, at least for me, had a more positive affect, at least to Hull," Jamie said. "He didn't get the super speed, strength or anything, but it certainly did give me something."

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"The, uh, experiment changed...me," Jamie muttered.

"Jay, what are you talking about?" Aaron asked.

"I. uh, it's hard to explain," she mumbled.

"Well, you better start trying," Aaron pressed. "I swear to God, Jay, I'm going to kill those bastards."

"Aaron, you need to relax and calm down," Jamie said. "We can't afford to make a scen-"

Just as Jamie was interrupted by the door at the far end of the cell block opening. Jamie and her men quickly moved back away from the door. They knew that if the guards were coming to get them, then it was best to be as far away from the bars as possible, because the last time someone wasn't further back, they had their fingers broken by the butt of one of their guns. The new arrivals seemed to take the hint and moved back further into their cell.

The two guards stopped between the two cells, turning towards the long time residents. One guard opened the cell while the other pointed the gun at the captives, making sure they stayed where they were and wouldn't cause a scene. Jamie was grabbed by her arm, anger and fear flooding over her, and a familiar feeling inside her chest started to arise. The Neutralizer was starting to wear off. It seemed the effects were only a couple hours, at most.

What wasn't expected was when the other guard stopped and got Shearer out of the other cell, dragging him along with Jamie.

"Where are you taking me?" Shearer demanded.

The guard holding him told him to be quiet in arabic, but Shearer apparently wasn't fluent in the language. Shearer struggled against his hold, hitting the guy in the nose with the back of his head, breaking it.

 _Oh, you really shouldn't have done that,_ Jamie thought.

The guard, in irritation, used the butt of his rifle to hit Shearer in the back. Shearer stumbled forward. The only thing preventing the young man from falling flat on his face was the guard behind him, grasping the back of his collar to pull him back upright. In doing so, Shearer let out a loud cough from the front of his shirt pulling back on his throat.

"Just keep quiet and walk," Jamie muttered through clenched teeth, eyes straight in front of her.

"Why should I listen to what you say?" Shearer asked.

"Because you'll live longer," Jamie stated.

The guard holding Jamie told her to be quiet, and she listened, making an example for Shearer. The rest of the walk was rather uneventful. Jamie was extremely curious as to why both of them had been taken. They obviously weren't going to the examination room or experimentation lab, seeing as they had passed both of them and continued on down to the large open area that they had been using to train Jamie.

That made her nervous. Why were they going to the training room? It made sense for them to have Jamie, but not Shearer. Did they want her to take him out? Train her to be their assassin; their mindless soldier? Like hell that was going to happen. She'd sooner die than listen to their order of taking out another innocent human being. She just hoped that wouldn't have to be the case.

By the time they arrived in the training room, Jamie's energy glow around her body had come back; her eyes a brilliant blue once more. The guards were even more on edge now, their guns pointed directly at Jamie instead of at the two captives. She made them extremely nervous whenever she wasn't under the neutralizers. She couldn't blame them, if she could control the ability, she'd most likely be a force to be reckoned with.

Shearer's dark brown eyes opened wide, staring directly at the American soldier next to him. "Bloody hell," Shearer muttered, gaping at Jamie's blue outer glow.

"Shut up, Private," she reiterated.

Footsteps caught Jamie's attention. She turned her eyes away from the young Brit and, to her surprise, Dr. Hull. Jamie gulped, her face paling drastically. That last time she had seen Dr. Hull she had been forced into the gamma chamber. Whenever he was around meant bad things for all of them.

Dr. Hull tilted his head, studying the young girl. His wide gray eyes had far too much white, making the irises in the center to appear far too small. Honestly, the first thing Jamie thought of when seeing him were those photos of the FBI's most wanted, where the men's eyes showed just how insane they truly were. Hull was insane, there was no doubt about that. Insane, cruelty and disgustingly brilliant.

Dr. Hull started to speak, but it wasn't in Arabic, as Jamie had originally thought. Her eyes widened before they narrowed into slits. So many questions were running through her mind. What was he saying? What language was that? Where was Hull from?

"What is he saying?" Shearer asked.

"I-I don't know," Jamie admitted. "It's not Arabic. It's not Russian, but it sounds kind of like it. I think it's _Estonian_."

But why the hell would an Estonian be working in Qatar? She could have sworn that the people that had them were terrorists. But around seventy percent of Estonians were either not religious or undeclared, and the majority of the people that were religious were Orthodox Christians or Lutheran Christians, not Muslim. And Hull definitely didn't look like he followed anything Muslim.

So the people holding them captive were terrorist. But then that left Jamie to wonder who the hell they were.

Not liking that there wasn't a response, Dr. Hull made a motion with his hand, and one of the guards grabbed Shearer, dragging him across the room. He struggled, and Jamie did as well, which resulted in Jamie having a rifle pressing into the back of her head. She froze, gritting her teeth together in frustration.

" _What the hell do you want from me?_ " Jamie screamed at them, scared that they were going to kill the new arrival. Jack may have been a jackass, but that didn't mean the young soldier deserved to die. She just needed to know what they wanted. She'd do it. Jamie just couldn't let the guy die. Not on her watch. Not if there was any possible thing she could do to prevent it.

From what Jamie could tell, there were three guards behind her, one of which had the gun pressed to the back of her head. There was another in front of her, all pointing guns toward her. Was one in the rafters of the large room, keeping an eyes on things from above, while the remaining guard, the one holding the rifle to Shearer's head and standing next to Dr. Hull.

Dr. Hull yelled from across the room, motioning with his arms to go along with the words that Jamie could not understand. Jamie shook her head, feeling the gun at the back of her head. She didn't care. She had no idea what he wanted. How could she possibly know when she couldn't understand them. The least they could do was have Amir translate like they normally did. Then at least they could get what they wanted, in that instance, at least; seeing as the other times it wasn't so successful.

"I don't know what you _want_!" Jamie screamed.

Dr. Hull sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he looked back up, he pointed to Shearer, said something, and then pointed to Jamie, finishing whatever it was he was saying. And as if on cue, which it could have very well been, the lights turned off, leaving Jamie the only light in the room.

It was then that Jamie instantly knew what was going on. It was another training exercise, the very one she had been forced to go through repeatedly. This time, however, they made sure to give Jamie an incentive. They knew Jamie needed a push in order to get what they wanted. They knew she hated them and wanted to make their lives harder, so they made sure to put an innocent life in the line of fire.

And it was working immensely.

Jamie had to move quickly, ducking behind one of the large foam barriers for cover. She knew that each of the guards could see the glow. They'd be shooting neutralizers at her, which hurt like hell when she was shot with them. She knew that this time, if she got him, they'd put a real bullet in Shearer's head.

 _Come on, come on, come on,_ Jamie thought, staring down at her hands. Nothing happened. She clenched her fists, hitting them on the concrete floor below her. She could hear footsteps running toward her from behind the barrier. She had to move, or make the light go away right the moment, otherwise it was game over.

 _Fuck this._ Jamie got up, crouching low as she ran out and rolled behind another barrier, barely dodging three shots directed toward where she had previously been. And Jamie kept moving, dodging shots, and her breathing intensified, so did the surge of energy pulsing through her. She could feel is, just like when an injury throbbed. It was as if it ached to get out; to escape. She found that the energy did this quite often when she was in a tight situation, or when she grew agitated, upset, and angry.

Perhaps it was time to let it do what it wanted. Maybe then she could save Shearer's live, because what she was doing now didn't seem to be working whatsoever.

Jamie took in a deep breath before standing up straight. Slowly but surely her pulse slowed, her breath calm. the energy inside didn't slow, but the ache seemed to go away, as the energy consumed her, accumulating in several key position in her body.

The first was directly in Jamie's chest, right where her heart was located. The second was right behind her eyes, making them seem ten times more blue than ever before. The last couple areas were found in her feet and in her hands. Jamie never felt anything like it before. Before she could feel the raw energy, just as it was. Now? Now the energy was directed somewhere. It was useful. It was fierce, but tame.

It was a warm, comforting feeling for Jamie. For the guards? Oh, it was going to be anything but. She would make sure of that.

The outer glow that generally misted her skin had disappeared entirely, leaving the room in complete darkness. Jamie could use that to her advantage. She moved quickly once more, rolling behind another barrier for cover as she knelt down and listened for the guards footsteps. As long as she could hear them, she could track and attack. She could just make out the four of them accumulating behind the one she was taking cover behind, muttering to one another on various things.

"Where did she go?"

"What do we do?"

Jamie smirked. She had them even more worried than she did before. The young woman was rather pleased with herself on that. If they felt a sliver of the fear that all of the captives felt, it would never be enough. She wanted to make them pay for what they did to her; to make them pay for all of the fallen soldier they killed because of their selfish experiments.

The blue eyed brunette climbed on top of the barrier as silently as she could, leaning over the edge to try and catch a glimpse of the group standing there. She could just barely make out their silhouettes, but they were there, and that was all she needed as confirmation to attack.

The build up of energy shifted from her hands and feet to the center point of her chest. The build up was extremely sudden and powerful, but the glow was still nonexistent for the moment, which Jamie was extremely pleased with. Her element of surprise was still in tact.

Jamie made her next move, swiftly jumping off the top of the barrier and into the center of the congregated group. The second her feet touched the ground, the energy build up in her chest blew, a bright blue force knocking into the guards. The guards were blasted off their feet, the energy hitting them so hard that each and every one of them were knocked unconscious.

Once the blast had been emitted, Jamie moved back into the darkness, running away from the scene and the bullets flying in her direction. She only had one more guard to take care of, and that was the one holding Shearer.

Jamie charged forward, one thing dominating her thoughts: she had to get to Shearer before the guard. She didn't have much of a plan, all she knew was that she needed to move as quickly and as unseen as she could in order to save the young kids life.

The brunette ended up kicking the gun out of the guards hand before kicking him between his legs, sending him down to the floor. Why stop there though? If she had the chance to take out Dr. Hull as well, why not just do it? Perhaps if the head of the was cut off, the whole organization would collapse making it easier for them to escape.

But before she even had the chance to take a step towards Dr. Hull, a sharp, penetrating pain shot through Jamie's stomach. Jamie fell to the ground with a scream. The brunette clutched her midsection as tears slipped out of her now green eyes.

She had completely forgot and overlooked the guard hiding up in the rafters. The lights flashed back on blinding the people in the room. More guards arrived, taking Shearer out of the room first, followed by Jamie, who was being dragged on the ground towards her exam room.

* * *

"I hate those things," Jamie groaned as Amir slowly pulled out the shell casing from the neutralizer in Jamie's shoulder. .

"I would assume so," Amir responded. "You are getting shot with it, after all."

"It hurts like a bitch," she moaned.

"Perhaps you should not have attacked ," Amir said.

"I'll do a lot more to him than that,"she muttered. "How well do you know this compound?" Jamie asked.

"Quite well," Amir answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, we have to get out of here, and I've got a plan," Jamie stated. Amir sat back, looking into the green eyes of the girl before him. "Well, it is about time."

* * *

 **And there we have it. Jamie's finally accepted the fact that she needs to use her new _slightly controlled_ ability to escape, and how British soldiers! Good looking ones at that. The next chapter is the escape, for those of you that are antsy for that little bit of reading. Anyway, hoped you guys liked it. PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. I just had a close friend of mine pass away, so we've been telling the family and making arrangements. The wake is Friday and funeral is Saturday, so the chapter will get out eventually.**

Thanks to the following for their review in the previous chapter:

 **seasidewriter1 : **Oh, I'm so glad you loved the chapter. Yeah, the gamma radiation was there to help tie Jamie in a little with Bruce, as well as some other things that will come up in the story as we progress. The next chapter is the escape, I assure you. I didn't want to drag out captivity too long, but I also didn't want to make it too short. It all leaves a lasting impact on Jamie, so I wanted everybody to get a good amount of it, though not all of the stay, of course.

 **shika93** : I'm glad you thought the begining was good. I hope you thought this chapter was good as well.


	4. Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or the Avengers or anything in that universe, I do, however, own Jamie and her fellow soldiers.**

* * *

Chapter 4  
Escape

"This isn't going to work," Shearer mumbled for what seemed like the thousandth time. "This plan is stupid."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Aaron retorted rudely.

Jamie sat quietly against the far wall of her shared cell, her eyes closed as she ran through the plan over and over again in her head. It had been nearly six months since she came up with the plan with Amir. The young soldier needed to completely control her abilities if their plan was to succeed, so time was required for her to do so.

Both groups of soldiers were aware of the plan, having been informed a couple months after Jamie and Amir started to figure out all the finer details of their escape plan. Everybody was hesitant at first, unsure if they could work with the man that Jamie came to trust. But as the female persisted with the plan, they came to accept it, and even became determined and hopeful that, perhaps, they would have their freedom once more.

"It is just too far fetched to be believable," Shearer persisted.

"You have no idea how much work was put into this plan!" Patrick spat.

"And neither do you!" Shearer stated. "The only two that are fully aware are Dr. _Quack_ and Private _Nightlight_. How do we know they're not going to turn on us and make us the distraction while they hightail it out of the compound?"

"Because Jamie wouldn't do that to us!" Aaron protested.

"Oh, and you know her so well?" Shearer retorted. "Desperation changes people."

"Jamie's been the only one to constantly reassure us that we would get out of this hellhole," James stated. "She's giving us _hope_ , something we haven't had in a long time. That's far more than what you've done while you've been here."

"Right, Jamie's our solace," Aaron added.

Jamie sat there, watching the group as the conversation progressed. She was shocked to hear the three men back her up; even going as far as to say that she was their solace. She was just trying to make sure they believed there was something else out there for them than just dying at the hands of those crazy scientists. In part, it was to try and make herself feel better.

"We can't afford to make a scene," Rhys sighed, rubbing the bridge of his eyes.

"Cam's right," Graham said. "If we have a chance to get away, then we can't afford to right whatever shot we have."

"I full heartedly agree," Dove said. "If Jamie believes it'll work, then so do I."

"Thank you, William," Jamie spoke up, smiling gently towards the quietest Englishman.

"You've put a great deal of time and effort into this plan, Jamie," Will went on. "If it's going to work, we all need to participate in whatever way we can. To the fullest extend."

"Will's right, Jack," Rhys said. "Now, either you're with us, or against us. You have to make that decision right here, right now, otherwise everything will fall apart. You want to get out of here, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Shearer scoffed.

"Then you need to shut your mouth and listen to what Private Roe says," Rhys added.

"Whatever," Shearer muttered, turning his back away from the barred door.

"Jackass," Graham and Aaron both muttered at the same time.

"We should go over the plan one final time," Rhys finally said, bringing the group back to business. "Private Roe, if you would be so kind…?"

"Of course, Cameron," Jamie said, pushing off the wall she was sitting against. She moved forward, towards the cell door. "It's rather simple, really. The only thing we keep out is the fact that the experiment was successful. Amir will come to administer another neutralizer, a decoy one, as well as slip in a key into the cell. Once he leaves, the guards switch shifts. That gives us a fifteen minute opening to get out of the cells. When we're out of here, we split into two groups, the first group goes to the computer lab, extracting the experimental data on the flashdrive Amir has, and deletes it from the server. Amir also said, as a failsafe, Dr. Hull installed a "self-destruct" code in case the facility was compromised. We'll activate that, giving up fifteen minutes to escape.

"The other group heads over the armory, getting as many weapons as possible, for themselves and the other group for when we meet back up. But before we meet back up, the armed group heads to the room where Amir's wife and daughter and being held.

"Once we meet back up outside of the training room, we make our way through there and to the hallway on the other side of the room, which leads the garage, where we get one of their jeeps and make our way north to our base," Jamie finished.

"And what about what we tell our commanding officers when we debrief?" Dove asked. "We can't very well tell them the experiment worked. Who knows what they would do with that information?"

"They'd probably try and recreate it," Aaron said.

"And we can't put anybody else through that," Jamie said. "Too many people have died."

"So what are we going to tell them?" Shearer asked.

"We tell them most of the truth," Jamie said. "We tell them we were experimented on. That Amir was there against his will as well, and we all worked together to escape. We tell them the whole plan, except for the fact that we extracted the experiment data. And we leave out the fact that I'm a," she looked pointedly at Shearer as she said, " _nightlight_."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Graham said.

"So when exactly are we going through with thi-" Shearer began, but stopped when the door down the hallway opened, and a single pair of footsteps made their way towards their cells.

The group grew quiet, moving away from the doors, just as they always did. It was strange that only a single pair of footsteps made their way down the hallway. Typically there were at least two guards. One set meant only one thing; it was time.

They were making their escape; _today_.

Jamie gulped at the sight of Amir on the other side of the bars. _This is it_ , she thought, nodding her head ever so slightly at the man. She was _extremely_ nervous. This was it, it was do or die and none of them wanted to die. They were determined to get home, back to reality and society. But if they failed, there was no future. No chance of ever getting back, because they'd all be dead. And it would be her fault.

Amir raised the neutralizing gun and pointed it directly at Jamie, while the other hand slipped the key out of his pocket. He dropped it on the floor, kicking it with his toe as he simultaneously fired the girl at the female. Jamie fell to the ground, the empty neutralizing shell piercing her shoulder, though it wasn't as unbearable as if the neutralizing agent had actually been in the casing.

"Fuck," Jamie groaned, holding her shoulder with one hand as she fell to the ground, her free hand snatching up the item discretely.

Amir left, and Jamie automatically knew that he was making his way to the the computers room for their meet up, and that the guards were changing shifts. She forced herself to her feet, handing the key to Patrick as Aaron helped her steady herself. She glanced up at him, nodding in silent thanks.

"You sure you're okay to do this?" he asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she admitted. "Are you ready to get home and see Andy?"

Jamie and Aaron had been friends since they had been originally stationed together on Jamie's first tour. He was the only person that had been stuck with her since that first deployment. They had been through two full tours, and part of the third before they had been captured, and he accepted her into his family, even taking her home on leave to meet his mother and younger brother, Andrew, who would have been eighteen by now, if she recalled correctly.

And even before they had been captured, Aaron was determined to bring her back home again, to take her to a Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Ranger's hockey game, seeing as hockey was both of their favorite sports. Jamie would root for hometown Rangers, while Aaron and little Andy would cheer on the Blackhawks.

"More than ready," he sighed. "We'll finally go see that hockey game."

Patrick opened the cell door and instantly went to the Brits to let them out. James was out second, making his way down the hallway to make sure the coast was clear for them to make their escape.

"Yeah," Jamie said. "Promise?"

"You have my word, Jameson Roe," he insisted, helping her out of the cell.

"God, I hate it when people call me that," she muttered.

She was only ever called Jameson when she was in trouble with her father, or her brother was calling her that intentionally to make her mad. She didn't have to worry about any of her superiors calling her that, because they always called her Private or just Roe. She always introduced herself as Jamie, and not Roe, but Aaron had found out on one of her paperwork sheets when she had to sign her name, that her full name as Jameson, not Jamie.

"I know, that's why I called you it," he said.

"I don't think this is the time for flirting," Shearer said, making his way out of the cell.

Jamie and Aaron both scoffed, looking at one another oddly. "Yeah, that's so not what that was," Aaron said.

"No, if you saw him flirt, you'd definitely know," Jamie muttered. "He's horrible at it."

"Really don't think this is the time to discuss this," Pat instructed.

"He's right," Rhys said. "We have to move now if we want this to work."

"Right," Jamie said. "Do you remember the instructions to the armory, and the captive room from there?"

"Yes," Dove answered.

They made it to the end of the hallway, and the two groups, the Brits and the Americans, both looked at one another. One group had to go left, while the other right, and neither knew for certain what awaited them once they rounded those corners.

"Don't worry, _Solace_ ," Graham teased with a wink in the girl's direction. "We've got you covered. Rendezvous in ten minutes, fifteen at the latest."

Jamie rolled her eyes at the name, but nodded her head and turned, bringing her men with her as Rhys's men went the opposite way. She kept them in the back of her mind, she needed to make sure she kept them in her mind as they moved, but not at the front where she'd be worrying about them the whole time. She had her own mission to worry about; her own men to make sure didn't die.

They went down several corridors, moving quickly but as silently as possibly. That was the only good part of not having any shoes. It made them much quieter when they walked. The downside was that it left their feet vulnerable to step on whatever happened to be there on the hallway floor, be it glass, nails or anything.

There were several instances where the Americans had almost gotten caught, but by some miracle they made it to the room to meet up with Amir. Jamie couldn't hear any other voices in the room, so she slowly opened it, peeking inside to check. The coast was clean. She motioned to James, Patrick and Aaron to follow her inside.

"Have you been seen?" Amir asked nervously as he walked up to the girl.

"No," she replied. "Not that I know of. Do you have the flash drive?"

"Yes," he answered, holding the little black object out for her to see. "You must take it. I fear I will misplace it in our haste."

Jamie nodded, taking the device and slipping it into her bra, just for safe measures. Her blue eyes glanced around the room at the computers. They weren't as high tech as she had thought they would have been. There were early 2000 models. No flat screens. They were bulky and took up too much room.

"Did you delete the information?" she asked, making her way up to one of them, not really planning to do anything once she got there.

"Of course," he said. "Just as we planned."

"Then you know what we have to do now, don't you?" she asked, looking back up into the brown eyes of the man.

"We've gotta hurry this along, Jay," Aaron reminded her. "We've only got a couple minutes to meet back up with the Brits."

"He's right," Pat said.

"Then you gotta work fast then, don't you, Amir?" Jamie asked.

Amir sighed, nodding his head in a hurry. He walked up to the computer Jamie was standing in front of, forcing her to set back and away from the device to give him more room to work. After several moments of typing out long codes that Jamie had no idea meant into the computer, red flashing lights built into the top of the walls started to flash, and loud alarms rang out.

"All right," Amir said, giving one last look to the monitor before turning to Jamie and the other soldiers. "The self destruct sequence is in effect. We have fifteen minutes to evacuate."

"Then let's move," Pat said.

The group emptied out into the hallway, following Patrick down the hall as he lead the way towards the training room. They could hear the frantic yells from the guards and scientists wringing through the halls through the alarm, but no guards were seen as they ran to make their escape.

The soldiers rounded the corner first, Amir in the center, seeing as he didn't know how to protect himself. However the moment he laid his eyes on his wife and daughter standing with the British Royal Marines, he broke formation and engulfed them in an embrace, the most physical and emotional Jamie had ever seen him.

Jamie didn't take the time to stop and really look at the reunited family. She was happy for them, but there was far too much to do still. They job wasn't done. They were still in danger, and if they hesitated for a moment for happy reunions, they wouldn't make it out with their freedom; or out at all.

"How did it go?" Jamie asked.

"Swimmingly," Graham muttered. "Scared the hell out of us, that's for sure, with those alarms and whatnot."

Jamie smirked, taking one of the guns from Dove is a polite nod. "No trouble then, I take it?"

"We had a bloody difficult time getting the guns without being noticed by the guards, but we managed to get out of there right before the alarms alerted them," Rhys said. "And I take it you didn't have any trouble?"

"Not in the least, which kind of concerns me," Jamie admitted. "Where are all the guards?"

"Perhaps they are all escaping before the compound blows," Amir said. "I would very much like to leave before that happens please."

"As would I," Shearer grumbled. "Can we go now?"

"Of course," Jamie said, rolling her eyes. "I'll go in first, make sure the coast is clear before I give you the signal."

"Sounds fine by me," Shearer said.

Jamie raised the rifle, slowly cautiously opening the door and entering it, checking to her left and right to make sure nobody was around the corner. She moved forward, taking over at the first barrier before turning around to the rest of the men, silently signalling them inside. She watched, one by one, as they entered and took refuge behind the same barrier with her.

Her stomach didn't churn until Jamie heard a shot ring out, and James screaming out in agony, falling to the ground. Jamie's breathing quickened, adrenaline and energy pulsing through her body ten times more than it had been moments before.

"Stay here," Jamie ordered, bolting out from the safety of the barrier to grab onto James's shoulders, the rifle hanging on her back from the strap. She managed to drag him halfway to the barrier before another shot rang out. Jamie dropped to her knees, a cry escaping her lips as pain burned through her side

She forced herself back up though, regaining her grip on James's shoulder and dragged him the rest of the way to the barrier. Once back there, Jamie fell to the ground on her backside, James in front of her screaming out in pain, holding his left leg as blood seeped through his fingers and through the material of his pants.

"Holy shit," Aaron muttered, obviously anxious about what was going on. "Jamie, are you okay? Fuck, you've been shot!"

"I'm fine," Jamie groaned, her attention more one James and the guards up in the rafters than on herself. There were three guards, as well as Dr. Hull. "Can you stop his bleeding?" Jamie asked Amir, who was already working on the soldier's leg.

"I can try and stop the bleeding, put a tourniquet on, but he needs medical attention, a hospital," Amir insisted.

"We gotta get out of here first," Jamie said, "and we can't if those guards are there."

"Yeah, what are you going to do about it?" Shearer said, glancing over the top of the barrier before ducking back down due to a several shot firing out towards him. "You were shot!"

Jamie looked at Shearer dead on. "I'm gonna take them out," she stated.

"Jay, don't be stupid," Aaron said. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Well, maybe I'll still be able to get you guys out then," she said before jumping up onto the top of the barrier.

The second she was up there, she raised her hand, focusing the energy to her palm and forced it out, sending it directly towards one of the guards. The attack surprised him, and the forced knocked him backwards, off of his post and down to the ground with very distinct smack and crack, indicating that he broke his back and neck.

Jamie didn't stop there though. The other guards were still up there, and if she didn't move quickly, they would react and she'd go down without much of a fight. She jumped, the energy pushing through her body, allowing her to push herself through the air, flying in the direction of the second guard. She landed, slightly out of breath from her wound and the amount of energy it always took to fly.

She lunged forward, rolling on the rafter to avoid the shot being fired at her. Her role brought her closer to the guard, close enough where, as she righted herself part way, was about to knock his feet out from under him with a swipe of her legs, energy flare backing her up just in case she missed. He fell onto his back, the gun slipping out of his hands, falling to the ground below. Jamie got up, pointing her weapon directly at him, firing several shots into his chest, killing him.

Seeing an opening, Rhys, Graham, Dove, Shearer and Patrick directed Amir's wife and daughter to move towards the opening of the garage, while Aaron and Amir pulled James behind.

While Jamie was in combat with the second guard, the third took Dr. Hull down from the rafters and moved across the room towards the garage. He stopped, turned when Jamie was finally done with the second man and pulled something out from his belt. He unpinned it, dropping it to the ground and quickly moved out of the room with the Doctor.

The grenade went off, sending Jamie fell from the rafter due to the blast. Separating her, the two innocent women, the Brits and Patrick from James, Amir and Aaron. Aaron seemed to be knocked unconscious from the blask.

Jamie groaned, rolling to her side as she tried to regain her composure. Rhys and Dove helped her up to her feet. She staggered for a moment, unable to keep still and straight on her feet. She looked around her, noticing that her group was split up. She moved to go back to her group, but fiery debris was in the way, and the two men were holding her back.

"Let go," she muttered weakly.

"No, we have to move now, Private," Rhys said.

"That's an order, Jamie," Patrick said. "We only have a couple minutes."

"We can't leave them," she said weakly, slowing regaining herself as the left the training room.

There were only a couple vehicles left in the garage, many of which were being taken by hustling guards, desperate to get away before the compound was destroyed. They managed to make it to one before anybody else could though. Rhys ushered Rima and Dunya into the back first, while Dove got into the driver's seat, Patrick into the passenger side.

"Private, we need to go now!" Patrick called to the girl, holding the door open for her to get in.

"Come on Jamie! We need to get out of here now!" Graham added.

She had the flash drive, she had the car, and five men out of eight was good. Jamie knew that she needed to make her escape with them right then and there if she even had a chance at getting away. Going back to get her other three men would surely get her killed, or foil her chances of ever getting back out of the facility.

James had been in extremely bad shape when she left, and Aaron was out cold. Amir was frantic, desperately trying to stop the bleeding on James's leg, while waving the girl away to make her escape, to assure that his wife and daughter got out alive. The chances that they were still hidden from the rest of the guards was very unlikely. They were most likely all dead already, and going back would have been completely pointless.

But then again, she was a Marine, and she never left anybody behind.

"Go!" she yelled to them. "I have to go back and get them."

"What?" Shearer gaped. "Are you insane?"

"I can't just leave them!"

"Private, you know what this means then, don't you?"

 _That I'll probably die or get captured again? Yeah,_ she thought. She nodded her head. "Go," she repeated.

Rhys nodded to her, saluting before softly saying, so she had to read his lips to understand what he was trying to say to her. "Thank you."

Jamie nodded back before turning and bolting out of the garage, dodging a couple guards as they ran to the garage to get out before the compound blew to smithereens. It didn't take her nearly as long to get back there as it took for them to get through the training room to begin with. There weren't anymore guards waiting to attack them, having all left to save their own lives.

James and Amir were right where she had last seen them, taking cover behind one of the barriers. However, not all was as it had been when she left. Amir was no longer conscious, a large gash bleeding out from the top of his head. James's leg was wrapped up, but it was still bleeding and he was still unconscious in a pool of his own blood.

And Aaron was nowhere to be seen.

Jamie looked around them, only finding a trail of blood for seven feet before it seemingly stopped out of nowhere. She did a lap around the room, her heart pounding in her chest, echoing louder in her ears than the alarms overhead.

"Aaron!" Jamie called out, desperate to find her best friend. "Aaron? Aaron!" _Come on, answer me! Don't do this to me!_ "Aaron!"

The watch on Amir's wrist beeped, the alarm signaling that she had less than five minutes to get out of there before the compound blew up. She had less than five minutes to find Aaron and drag the two unconscious men out of there.

Jamie didn't have enough time for both.

It was save two lives, plus her own, or risk those lives to try and find someone that may or may not be dead or still on the premises.

She was forced to make the decision she really didn't want to make. Jamie was choice James and Amir. She bent down, painfully throwing James over her shoulder. She grabbed onto Amir's arm and quickly and painstakingly dragged him towards the exit.

Her stomach sank when she entered into the garage, finding no remaining forms of transportation to make a quick getaway. She pierced her lips, running as fast as she could with carrying close to three hundred extra pounds. She excited through the loading bay, her feet sinking into the sand on the ground as she trudged off of the compounds perimeter.

Jamie screamed out when the explosion occurred, the black sending her and the men through the air and to the ground. The young woman panted, slowly forcing herself up, looking back at the now burning facility. She couldn't believe that she had just made it out alive.

Alive but without her best friend.

Jamie bit her lip, silent tears dripping down her filthy dirt and blood covered face. She picked both of the men up again, just as she had done the first time and moved forward.

* * *

Two days.

First extreme heat, though Jamie had to admit she was thankful it was February when the head was averaged in the high seventies and not August, when the temperature averaged at a high one hundred twenty-five degrees. Then again, she was carry - more so dragging - two men through the desert as she desperately tried to make her way towards the base she barely remembered being stationed at.

Her muscles ached as sweat dripped off of her burning red skin from the sun beating down from above. Her skin and clothes were caked with dirt, sand and blood; not all of which belonged to her.

And with each step Jamie took, she counted, losing track every hundred or so steps, requiring her to start over again. She didn't know why she counted. Perhaps it was just a way to keep herself as sane as she could. After all, the only thing around her was sand for as her unnatural blue eyes could see.

And after she'd lose track of her cound, Jamie would get frustrated with herself. She figured they should have come across some sort of civilization by then. She knew she was wasting precious time. James was bleeding out, as was she. But James was going to lose his leg, perhaps even his life if she didn't get him back to that base for an exac as soon as she possibly could.

But she was going as fast as she could when carrying two fully grown men. James was over her shoulders, his legs in the air to try and prevent the floor from going down to his feet, bleeding out completely, while she dragged Amir through the sand. She couldn't feel the wound on her side anymore, and that wasn't a good thing either. She knew she was bleeding out too, the wound reopening over and over again as she struggled to push forward.

She was hot. She was thirsty. She was in pain and she was tired.

 _Seventy-four. Seventy-five. Seventy-si-_

Jamie tripped, her ankle rolling on a large rock under her foot. James landed on top of her shoulders as she face planted into the hot sand; Amir hitting the wound on Jamie's side, causing her to cry out in pain. She managed to crawl out from under the two men, clawing at the sand. She rolled into her back, clutching her bleeding wound as tears streamed down her face. She only stopped moving when a shadow cast over her burning body.

 _"I know you did not just give up on me."_

Jamie coughed, rolling to her side as her watery red stained blue eyes looked up to the man casting the shadow over her. She froze when her eyes looked into the brilliantly green eyes of the very clear image of her older brother, Everett. His brown hair combed back neatly, reminding her of something seen in old documentaries from the forties or fifties. He liked to look classic. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, looking down at her as his head shook back and forth.

She hadn't seen her brother since she was thirteen. She had lost him in Kandahar not long after the events of 9/11. She had gone to his funeral. He couldn't possibly be there with her. She knew that. But he looked so real. Jamie could practically reach out and touch him, but that would have required movement that caused her too much pain.

"I-I can't," she muttered exhaustedly.

 _"Oh sorry, I'm deaf to quitters. I can't hear you."_

"I can't do it," she cried, biting her lip to try and stop her sobbing.

" _Last time I checked there were no quitters in my family, Jameson."_

"It hurts," she went on. "I'm so tired."

 _"Yeah so does failure. Failure sucks. So suck it up."_

Jamie shook her head. "You don't know what it's like," she said. "No food. No water. No sunlight. To be poked and prodded and tortured. I can't- I can't do it anymore."

 _"No, I just died in a fiery explosion. I can totally see how being alive is totally worse. My bad."_

"What reason do I have to go on, huh?" she screamed at the hallucination. "You're dead. Mom and Dad are dead. I've got nobody."

" _How about not joining us? 'Cause that would piss me the hell off. And you'll find someone who needs you. Unless you're going to be a quitting, whiney baby, Jameson."_

Jamie rolled to her knees, one hand on her wound while the other supported her as she crawled to James, grabbing him by the sleeve of his shoulder. "I hate it when you call me Jameson," she growled.

" _Then move. Remember, James has a wife. He has two kids. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for him. For them."_

"For them," she huffed through strain as James was back up on her shoulders.

 _"That's right, for them Cute kids that want their daddy home."_

"Kyle," Jamie said. "Casey."

Kyle and Casey were James's kids. She never met them, but James always showed pictures of them to whoever he managed to get his hands on. He was so proud of those kids. Kyle played football, and Casey was extremely smart. He couldn't see fault in them, they were both two good kids that Jamie knew were missing their father more than anything.

 _"Yeah, and get Amir back to his wife, Rima and daughter, Dunya,"_ Ev said. _"He took care of you when you needed it, now take care of him."_

"Family is important," Jamie agreed. "You don't leave family."

 _"Right, and you are all family now. So save your family."_

"I miss you _so_ much," she cried, grabbing Amir's arm to begin dragging him along once more.

 _"I know, Jay, I know. I miss you too. But you gotta hang in there for me, okay?"_

Jamie forcefully breathed through her nose, painfully taking a determined step forward. She was going to get James and Amir back to their family; if it was the last thing she did. Because if she couldn't be with her, and Aaron couldn't be with his, she was going to damn well make sure they got back to theirs.

 _One. Two. Three. Four._

* * *

 **Well, there we go. They have escaped and now Jamie, as well as the Brits and most of Jamie's fellow soldiers. I'm not all that good at combat scenes, but I hope it turned out okay. Let me know what you think. Please review. Reviews make chapters come out faster!**

 **Thanks to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:**

 **seasidewriter1** : Of course you have to love men in uniforms, especially British ones with amazing accents! At least now you know how they escape. What comes next for Jamie is only known by me and one other person at the moment. We both just calaberated on Jamie meeting Bruce, so that's actually all written already. I have so many chapters in=between everything written already it's unbelievable. I mean, I seriously had maybe five chapters already done before I have all of the whole beginning finished. Oh well.

 **TrueManevolanGirl4899** : I'm very glad you liked it. I hope you liked this one just as much, if not more. I really appreciated the review!

 **BrySt1** : You love it? Oh yay! I'm so happy you're enjoying this as much as I am writing it. I hope all the antisipation was worth the wait. Hoped you liked it and thank you for the review!

 **mun3litKnight** : Well, now you know the escape was successful, for most of them, at least. I hope you enjoyed it, I found it rather diffucult to write. I'm not the best at combat scenes,but I hope it turned out well anyway.


	5. Normalcy

**Diclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Avengers, just Jamie and her fellow soldiers.**

* * *

Chapter 5  
Normalcy

Jamie sat up quickly, her brown hair falling over her blue eyes. A shaky hand moved up to her face, pushing the hand behind her ears. It had been a while since she had a dream about getting picked up after the escape, though the captivity still plagued her dreams practically every night. The dream wasn't really a pleasant experience, but compared to what she normally dreamed, it was a pleasant surprise.

Not long after she had hallucinated her brother in the desert, three air force choppers flew overhead, spotting Jamie still trudging along with James and Amir. Even shorter after that, she was back on the military base getting checked over, being asked a million different questions. She didn't answer then until they killed her in on James's status though. He lived, but he lost his leg. His military career was over.

She had also found out that the only reason they had been found was because Dove just that good with the directions that they were able to find them after an hour in the air. The group of British soldiers, Patrick, Dunya and Rima had made it unscathed to the base, receiving medical treatment and refuge. They took their statements as a team suited up to go look for the remaining individuals.

She was still in contact with most of the British Royal Marines. Shearer being the exception. They were all back to work in the army, doing what they had been before they had been captured. She wrote letters to them most of the time. They told her that the letters were their solace, which meant a great deal to her, as well as made her laugh, seeing as it was also a tease. But if she could help the deployed men in any way she could, she would do it.

Seeing as she wasn't allowed to be out in the field anymore. The military discharged her, claiming she had been through far too much. They couldn't let her in the field, or even sit behind a desk doing paperwork or in a recruitment station. She was left with all her benefits and a great sum of money to compensate for her troubles, all of which was practically completely untouched in her bank account.

Patrick, of all people, was allowed to stay in the military and continue his work. How he managed that, Jamie had no clue. She would have thought him, or all people, would have gladly retired from the military and gone to find a simpler job; a calmer life. THen again, perhaps he was out there trying to find the people responsible for their suffering. Dr. Hull was still out there, after all; doing God knows what.

James was also at home, trying desperately to reconnect with his wife, who hadn't started seeing anybody yet, thankfully. But it was difficult to get used to life after captivity. He had PTSD. He had to learn how to go on with daily life with one less leg. His relationship with his children were strained. But it was all on the mend. And Jamie was thankful for that. At least everything was going well for one of them.

Jamie, on the other had, was having a very hard time accepting the fact that she would never be in the military again, doing what she had always planned on doing. SHe couldn't find a job, most places only seeing her time in the military on her resume and thinking that was all she was capable of doing. She just really wanted something to do; to keep her mind busy and off of everything that happened to her. Off of her loses.

A soft sigh escaped the young woman's lips as she shifted on the bed, her legs now hanging off the side of the mattress. She wiggled her toes slowly, feeling the softness of the fuzzy carpet placed beside her bed on top of the cold, hard wooden floor. She seemed to do the action without thinking about it anymore. The soft carpet a comfort after remembering the cold, hard dirt where she had slept for so long.

Jamie glanced over at the alarm clock resting on her night stand. _Four hours of sleep_ , she counted. _That's more than usual. That's good, I guess._ She stood up, stretching out her back, her arms raised over her head as everything seemed to pop. Blue eyes landed on the simple pair of white running shoes resting on the floor in front of the closet across the room . With a sigh the young woman forced towards her dresser to pull out a fresh pair of workout clothes.

It was going to be another long day of job hunting.

* * *

 _Okay, I've got my resume_ , Jamie thought as she exited the stairwell into the lobby of her apartment building. The woman patted her pockets, continuing with her mental checklist. _I've got my keys and my phone. I've got my wallet. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?_

The brunette rounded the corner, resume secure in her hand. Sitting in one of the wooden chairs lined up against the wall to her left, between two potted plants, was a Caucasian male in a black business suit, his thinning brown hair combed neatly on the top of his head. His hands were folded in his lap, his blue eyes focused on the suited Jamie. The man stood as Jamie drew closer, falling into step beside her as the younger woman made her way to the exit. The 5'9" male overshadowing the girl by only two inches.

 _Oh, right,_ Jamie thought. _That's what I forgot._

"Private Roe," the man greeted.

"Good morning, Agent Coulson," Jamie greeted smoothly with a polite nod.

"Did you forget about our appointment?" he asked.

 _Purposefully, yes._ "I'm afraid so, Agent. And I have to get to a job interview so we'll have to reschedule."

"Another one?" he asked, opening the door for her. "Didn't you have three last week?"

"Yes, and I received calls from all of them informing me they had already filled the positions," she answered. "So the hunt continues."

"That's unfortunate," Coulson answered. "Would you like a ride?" he asked, making his way to the black SUV with blacked out windows parked in front of the building.

Jamie laughed. She knew very well if she got into that car she wouldn't make it to her interview. They'd haul her away for the debriefing that she had been putting off. "Ah, you're not gonna get me with that," she said with a dry laugh. She turned around and waved over her shoulder to the man. "I'll see you next week, Agent Coulson!"

"Good luck, Private Roe," he called back.

Agent Coulson had been trying for almost two months to get the girl to debrief the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division on the events that transpired while she and several other soldiers were held captive during their deployment. The CIA, FBI and the DoD all seemed to back off, obviously tired of how much the girl blew them off. SHIELD, however, was still as persistent as ever. Every week Agent Coulson would make an appointment with the woman and every week Jamie would schedule something at the same exact time just so she could avoid it.

She had done it about seven times already, this making it eight. She half expected Agent Coulson to just be in her apartment when she returned back from her interview. There'd be no getting away from that meeting, that was for sure. Jamie just hoped it didn't come to that.

The brunette stepped of the curb and raised a hand, flagging down a taxi. "Taxi!"

* * *

The chairs in the main lobby of the Baxter building were the same wooden chairs provided in the lobby of Jamie's apartment building. The wooden chairs had a circular arch, the back connecting with the arms. The back of the chair didn't go any higher than the middle of the young woman's back. They were incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least.

How Agent Coulson could sit in them week after week waiting for Jamie was beyond her.

"Miss Roe?" The receptionist called from the front desk.

"Yes Ma'am?" Jamie politely.

Jamie had spent the better part of her fifteen minute wait profiling the woman without her knowing. Her name was Linda, or so her name tag stated. The middle aged woman had a very professional taste in clothing, though rather expensive for a receptionists salary, indicating that she spent more money on outward appearance than she probably should have. She had three children, as well as a husband, indicated from the four pictures framed on her desk. Her middle child, the only girl, was her favorite. The photo was centered and brought forward, while the boys were further back.

"Mr. Thayer will see you now."

Jamie stood up and thanked the middle aged woman. She went straight to the office to the left of the main desk, knocking politely before she entered upon hearing the deep male voice behind it. She entered, shaking the tall, burly man's hand who stood up when the young woman entered.

Duncan Thayer was the head of security at the Baxter Building. He was a built man, obviously a man who took pride in his stature. He was a redhead, much like James, though his eyes were brown rather than hazel. There was a great resemblance to the two men. James most likely got his looks from his mother's side of the family then.

Thayer was the uncle of Private James Roberts, one of the only men to survive captivity with Jamie. While in survive, he always stated that after his tour, he'd go home and work for his uncle. Thayer was holding a security position for him. However, James had lost a leg in the escape and could no longer take the position.

James had instantly recommended Jamie to his uncle. He informed Jamie of the position and though he couldn't guarantee her the job, he could put in a good word for her with the man and guarantee her _at least_ an interview. And he definitely followed through on that.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Thayer," Jamie said, sitting down upon his gesture to one of the two chairs across from his desk.

"Of course," he said. "James talks very highly of you. Said he wouldn't be alive today if it hadn't been for you, so I thank you for that."

"I'm afraid he's exaggerating, Mr. Thayer," Jamie huffed in amusement. "James does have a taste for the theatrics."

"That he does, but from the stories he tells me, you single handedly got all of those men out of there," Thayer said. "And I believe that. He may have a taste for theatricality, but he's always honest."

Jamie didn't want to say thank you to that, but she didn't really know anything else to say. What did one say to that without giving details away? She had no idea! All she could really think of doing was to direct the conversation elsewhere. It seemed she didn't have to do such a thing, though, for Thayer didn't remain on that topic very long.

"And seeing as James is always honest, I'm sure every good thing he told me about you is correct," he added. He looked at her resume for a moment before closing the cover and looking up at the girl. "You don't have much experience other than your time in the military though."

"Yes, Sir," she said. "I spent six years in the military. I enlisted when I turned eighteen."

"I see," he said. "You were a sniper?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"And you speak several languages, I see," he said.

"Yes, Sir."

"Where did you learn so many languages?" he inquired.

"My father was in the military as well," Jamie explained. "Army brat, so we moved a lot."

"I see," he said. "When would you be able to start?"

"Whenever you'd need me," she stated.

Thayer sighed, sitting back in his chair, hands folded on the top of his desk. "Despite your lack of experience outside the military, I believe you'd do very well here. Generally for a new employee, they go through a week of training before we officially hire them. However, we're extremely short staffed, so if you're interested in the position, you'd only have three days training for the rest of the week. We also need a physical done, to make sure you're healthy. Is that a problem?"

"No Sir," she answer. "I can have that done by tomorrow morning, if needed."

"Good, I'll see you here tomorrow at fifteen hundred hours," he said.

"Thank you so much, Sir," Jamie said. She stood up, shaking the man's hand one last time before departing.

* * *

The three day training went by quickly and it was a far easier job than Jamie would have thought. There were far more rules in the military than there were at being a security guard at the Baxter Building. The only real problem was one of the residents of Baxter Town.

Johnny Storm, also known at the Human Torch. Johnny Storm had apparently taken a liking to the pretty little security guard. Every day he would find where Jamie was posted for the day and try and flirt with her. She was pretty sure he meant nothing by it, just something to do to pass his boredom. It didn't help that the job wasn't very eventful. Jamie would be at her post with little to no interaction with anybody.

"Your name must be yogurt, because I wanna spoon you." Johnny grinned at her.

 _Oh, where does he get these? Off a popsicle stick?_ Jamie internally groaned. That day, Jamie was sitting at the front desk, with one of the other guards, Logan who was in his mid forties. He seemed to find the girl's annoyance humorous. _Can't the guy take a hint?_

Sure, Johnny was extremely good looking, with his boyish blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, his strong structure and cute smirk, but Jamie wasn't interested in any sort of romantic relationship at the moment. She barely wanted any _human_ interaction!

"If you're feeling down, I can feel you up."

"I'm flattered, Mr. Storm, but I'm working," she muttered, finishing one of the many logs she had to do.

"I'm not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together." Johnny kept going, grinning at her in a knowing way, as if he thought it would eventually work after he wore her down.

"Mr. Storm, please, I'm trying to concentrate," she muttered. Jamie got up and turned her back to the twenty-five year old. She slid open the filing cabinet and leaned over, placing the paper into the correct folder.

"I'm going to tell you what everyone has been saying behind your back," Johnny said seriously as he watched her. "Nice ass!"

Jamie turned around and sighed, pushing her brown hair behind her ear. "And are you aware, Mr. Storm, that I could file sexual harassment for that comment?"

"Oh, come on, kid," Logan laughed. "He's just trying to get you to go out with him!"

"That I am aware," Jamie replied. "To which I have already stated that I do not date people I work for and that I'm currently not looking to date."

"Come on. _One_ date!" Johnny begged her with big blue puppy dog eyes. "One date and if you hate it completely I'll never ask again."

"Are you aware that I just got back from overseas two months ago?" Jamie ask, seemingly out of the blue.

"Yeah, so what's wrong with showing a girl a good time? Thank her for her service and all that," Johnny said bowing at the waist. "Like the gentleman I am."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "My point is, I'm not going to be the most pleasant of company. I mean, honestly, who would want to-"

"I want too!" Johnny protested. "I mean why else do I keep coming back to look into those lovely eyes."

Jamie froze. Whenever someone mentioned her eyes, she couldn't help but clam up. Jamie's crystal clear blue eyes hadn't always been that way. That hadn't always even been blue. A side effect of what went on while she was in captivity was her eye color changing. Every time she looked in a mirror, Jamie was reminded of the past. Her green eyes no longer looked back at her.

Jamie had to remind herself that nobody else knew about how insecure she felt about that though. Johnny didn't know about anything. How could he? She couldn't hold that against him. He was just trying to be nice.

And really, Johnny wasn't all that bad. He was a complete flirt and didn't take no for an answer, but he was nice, and he obviously had a good heart; it was very obvious from the way she had seen him interact with the other residence of the building, such as his sister Sue Storm, his sister's husband Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. He loved to tease everybody, but he did it because he liked them, not to belittle them.

So would it really be that bad to go on a date with him? "One date?" she asked in a small voice.

"One date, I swear," Johnny said raising a hand. "Scouts Honor."

 _I highly doubt you were a boy scout, but I suppose I'll have to take your word for it._ "Okay, one date," she caved. "But after that you have to let up, okay?"

"I will! I promise to decrease my flirtations by 88%."

 _That's not what I had in mind but I'll take what I can get._

* * *

Jamie wasn't looking forward to the date with Johnny whatsoever. It was one thing to be alone with the player, but forced into a social situation with important people to his sister, Sue and Reed Richards? She wouldn't be able to relax at all. She was so paranoid that she was going to do something to embarrass the most important residents at the Baxter Building that had nearly made herself sick thinking about it in the limo ride to the charity event.

The brunette was wearing a knee length, round collared, sleeveless cocktail dress with black heels. There were gold accents around the collar, as well as going down to her waist at the seems of the dress. She curled her hair and left it down, hanging loosely to her shoulders. She even put in effort with her makeup. She wore dark red lipstick, as well as eye shadow, which unintentionally brought out the blue eyes she hated so much. The only jewelry she wore were her dog tags around her neck. They went inside the dress, so nobody really knew what the necklace was of.

The limo pulled up to the front of the charity event. There was a pathway in the center, while on both sides were paparazzi, cameramen and news anchors. Jamie sighed, biting her lip as she looked at them from inside the limo. She wasn't looking forward to going out there whatsoever. She had made a point to not draw attention to herself when she arrived back home. And this was definitely unwanted attention.

Johnny was standing by the side of the road, posing for the cameras, enjoying all of the attention. When the limo pulled up, he opened the door for Jamie to exit. Johnny draped his arm around her shoulders. He tried to get her to stop and take a picture, but Jamie leaned closer to him and basically begged for them to just go inside.

"Johnny, please?" she asked. "They make me nervous."

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny said and started walking with her. "They can't help but love me, I mean, I'm awesome." The doorman held the door open for the and she walked in with Johnny's arm still wrapped around her.

Jamie rolled her eyes, a smirk planted loosely on her dark lips. "No," she chuckled. "You're full of it, that's what you are."

"That's okay, as long as you can be full of me to," he joked with a smirk right back at her.

"You're impossible," Jamie laughed. "And perverted."

"I know." He said heatedly full of himself. Johnny led the girl into the middle of the room, looking around for anybody he knew.

"We all know," a smooth female voice said from Johnny's left. Johnny's beautiful older sister, Sue storm stood just to their left, with Reed Richards at her side. "Hello, Ms. Roe."

"Good evening, Dr. Storm, Dr. Reed," Roe greeted.

"Hello," Reed greeted. "I'm surprised Johnny finally got you to go on a date with him."

"Hello, I'm _me_!" Johnny said motioning to himself. "I always get the girl."

"He said he'd leave me alone, at least a little, if I agreed to go on one date," she told the man. "I'm hoping one night doesn't leave me permanently scarred."

"I resent every comment," Johnny stated.

"No, you resemble it," Reed corrected.

"We'll pay for the therapy if it does," Sue informed her. "Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy yourself tonight."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jamie said.

Sue and Reed departed to go talk to some scientist they both knew that Johnny didn't seem to care about.

"Would you like a drink?" Johnny asked.

"Water, please," she said.

"Aw come on! It's a party, live a little!" Johnny laughed.

"I don't drink," she told him, glancing around herself. She wasn't comfortable being surrounded by people like that. It was one thing being outside on the street with people around her. It was an entirely different thing to be trapped in a room with them. It made her extremely uncomfortable and paranoid.

"Come on, it will help you relax!" Johnny insisted.

"No," she insisted. "I prefer not to drink." She cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly on her heels. The alcohol helped her loosen up a little too much, that was the problem. She had a harder time keeping a level head, and keeping herself contained. "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm going to run to the restroom. That okay?"

"Right, I'll be over by the music man when you finish up." Johnny grinned at her. "I'll be waiting, beautiful."

Jamie rolled her eyes and left the blond male. She managed to make it threw the crowd of rich folk without getting anything spilled on her, or running into anybody. The bathroom was in a hallway just off of the great ballroom where the event was being held, providing a quieter, relaxing atmosphere. The girl entered and went straight to the sink. She set her clutch down, leaning most of her weight onto her hands on the counter.

She was thankful for the cool air in the bathroom. It was much quieter and nobody else was in there, providing her the perfect opportunity to calm down. Jamie would have figured that since she had been alone for so long in captivity, the crowd would have been a welcome change, but really it made her far more uncomfortable than being alone in the gym she was a member of her apartment.

It was nice of Johnny to try and treat her like she deserved nothing but the best, in their world of riches and glamor, but it wasn't her and she just felt extremely out of place in the crowd of celebrities. She didn't know how to act around them. She barely knew how to act around regular people. Could anybody blame her? She the only contact with people her had had for a year and a half, for the most part, had been with a Doctor that was being held captive and forced to practice on her and the other captives. She barely spoke to the other captives due to their separated cells.

The door to Jamie's left opened and in walked a tall, ginger haired woman. She wore an elegant silver dress, her hair pulled back part way. Her eyes landed on Jamie for a moment before she herself took the sink next to the brunette. Jamie looked away, afraid that looking at the woman too long would insult her.

"First big charity event?" the woman asked the brunette.

Jamie was startled that the woman acknowledged her. It took her a good several seconds to register that she had to reply. "Uh, yes, Ma'am," she answered. "I'm not," she cleared her throat anxiously, "used to such extravagant things."

The woman chuckled softly. "I understand," she said. "I was the same way when I went to my first. And I was just there for my boss."

"Your boss, Ma'am?" Jamie asked.

"Yes," she said. She put her hand out, offering to shake. "Virginia Potts, I'm the CEO of Stark Industries," she introduced. "More commonly called Pepper, though. You're free to call me either."

"Jamie," she introduced, taking the woman's hand. "I'm, uh, just a security guard at the Baxter Building. But I'm here as a date. Kind of."

"A kind of date?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Jamie admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "Johnny Storm said he'd leave me alone if I went on at least one date with him. I figured one date was worth a shot at some peace and quiet at work."

Pepper laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Johnny," she said, nodding along with that. "He's a handful, that one."

"Yes, yes he is," Jamie groaned.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far though?" she asked.

"Honestly?" Jamie sighed, looking down into the sink. "I, uh, no. Not really, Ma'am."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Pepper admitted. "If it helps, I know the perfect places to hide in this place to avoid everybody. Just say the word and I'll point you in the right direction."

"I would take that offer up in a heartbeat if I could," Jamie admitted.

"Don't like being around large groups of people?" the woman asked.

"No," the girl stated. She pulled out her dog-tags and showed the woman. "You see, I just got back from overseas so I'm kind of still trying to integrate myself back into society."

"How long were you gone?" she asked curiously. "If you don't mind my asking."

"No, it's all right," she said. "I was gone more than two years, the last time. It was my third deployment."

"Well, thank you," she leaned over and glanced at the tags, "Private Roe, for your services."

"No thanks necessary, Ma'am," Jamie said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, welcome back," Pepper said.

"It's good to be back," Jamie said truthfully.

The two women exited the restroom, slowly making their way side by side back to the party.

"I'm sure you'll adapt just fine. It'll just take time," Pepper assured her.

"I'd prefer to not make a habit of attending such populated functions," Jamie admitted.

"Well then avoid my boss. As soon as he picks up on that he'll make it his life's goal to annoy you with party invite after party invite."

"Did someone talk about me?" a voice from behind the two women said. "I had the feeling someone was talking about me, which someone always is."

"Run, run while they still can." Pepper whispered to her before whirling around to her boyfriend and boss. "Well, who's to say what we were talking about was good? I have no doubt people talk about you in unfavorable ways all the time."

Tony Stark was much shorter than Jamie ever pictured him in person. He looked taller in the magazines and on the new whenever they did stories on him. Though, that didn't mean he had any less of a presence than was expected from _the_ Tony Stark. His expensive black suit, which Jamie figured Pepper picked out for him, was pressed neatly and had to cost more then she ever made in a year of working in the military.

"Well that's just mean and uncalled for," Tony Stark scoffed a bit a hand over his heart. "That hurts me, right here, in my mechanical, clean energy powered heart."

Jamie snorted out a laugh in amusement. She had to admit, watching the two banter was incredibly entertaining. She wouldn't want to be a part of it, but it was amusing to say the least. She knew she had to make her leave now though if she was ever going to get away before the billionaire pulled her in.

"It was nice meeting you, Ms. Potts," Jamie said, before turning to try and make her leave.

"Hey now, I cannot just let you walk out of my life, at least not before finding out your name and getting you significantly hammered enough to give me funding in case you're a backer," Tony said tossing an arm over her shoulder.

Jamie fidgeted under the man's hold, thirsty to get out of it. "I don't drink, and I don't nearly have enough money to give," Jamie said. "I've already given more than I probably can afford while still paying this months rent," she tacked on with a muttered.

"Well then I need to at least get you hammered enough to forget that sad fact," he fixed and was already ordering her a drink. This man obviously didn't take no for an answer. Which could be admirable, as well as extremely annoying, whichever side of it someone happened to be on.

"That's kind of you, but as I said, I don't drink," she repeated.

"I wouldn't mess with this one, Tony," Pepper said. "She could probably kill you with her little finger."

"But I'm so lovable, how could she stand to kill me?" Tony said his big brown eyes fluttering in Jaime's direction.

"It's a lot easier than it looks," she stated flatly, trying to be funny for at least Pepper's sake.

"Doesn't mean she'd do it. I mean, we're best friends. And best friends can make their best friends dates leave them alone," Tony cooed to the open air though it was aimed at Jaime obviously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jamie stated.

"Johnny isn't exactly quiet when it comes to dates. He's told everyone who you are and what you look like, and what he wants to do with you if he got you alone," Tony smirked. "He's rather unimaginative."

"And what exactly has he told you?" Jamie asked, crossing her arms across her chest worried about what the blond said about her. Johnny didn't really know all that much, not unless he did extra research behind her back. Then again, there wasn't all too much to find except the fact that she had technically been declared dead for a year or so.

"Well, he said he'd love to get you home and slip that dress over your head and-"

"He is aware this isn't an actual date," Jamie sighed.

"I don't know, for a guy that can burst into flames he doesn't really have much for thought."

 _Well, he's not really wrong about that_ , Jamie thought. "For the record, I didn't mean I wanted details on what he wanted to do, more what he told people _about_ me," she tried to clarify.

"Oh well that was simply your name, age, body type, and that he worked hard as hell to get you here." Tony shrugged and shoved a drink in her hand.

"I won't deny that he did try," Jamie said, turning and placing the drink on a tray a waiter was carrying as he passed by. "And I reiterate, I don't drink."

"...Pepper, get my personal phone and put miss Roe in my contacts, I need to break her of this nasty little habit of sobriety," Tony said pointing to his girlfriend.

"That's not going to happen," Jamie pressed, more towards Pepper to let her know she didn't have to do it. "There's no way you're going to break me of that. Trust me, the last time I drank, I had far too much and the outcome wasn't pleasant whatsoever."

And it was true. She couldn't drink because the effect the alcohol had on the energy source. It was like adding gas to an already intense fire. She couldn't control it. She ended up breaking every mirror and window in her apartment, which was incredibly difficult to explain to the manager. Nonetheless, she managed to get them to fix and replay everything, though it did certainly hit her hard in her bank account.

"Shhh, fine, but you _will_ be placed in my contacts. You're entertaining!" he grinned swinging his arms out.

"How am I entertaining?" Jamie gaped.

" _Shhh_ , Sparky, just let it happen," Tony said pressing a finger to her lips. He was obviously a little - a lot drunk.

Jamie took a slight step back, just enough so that Tony's finger wasn't in contact with her lip anymore. She was afraid of just where exactly that finger had been. "Sparky?" _Where the hell did Sparky come from?_

"Shh, I have to go get people to donate to my stuff," Tony said patting her head. "I need to go...go find myself," he mumbled and stumbled through the crowd.

"How do you deal with him?" Jamie asked watching Tony go.

"He has good intentions... _most_ of the time," Pepper said. "He really does," she assured her.

"I'll take _your_ word for it," she replied honestly. "Perhaps you should make sure he doesn't do anything _you'll_ regret or have to clean up after."

"He always does, no matter the precaution," Pepper sighed, nodding in farewell to the young woman.

"Jaime! Where have you been? I've been trying to find you so I can show you off!" Johnny said popping out almost literally from nowhere.

"I hear you've been implying things about the future that aren't true," Jamie said, crossing her arms across her chest once more, giving Johnny a pointed look.

"About how we'll have many many more dates ahead of us? Of course!" Johnny smiled down at her.

"Johnny, I told you," Jamie sighed, "this was a one time deal. This isn't a date and we're not dating."

"But you're going to fall in love with me!" Johnny said.

"No, Johnny, honey, I'm not," Jamie said.

"But you are," Johnny said his lower lip quivering as he looked at her sadly.

Jamie smirked and laughed softly, patting him on the cheek gently. "Try again, John."

"Damn it." Johnny whined.

"That doesn't mean we can't have a good, friendly time tonight though," Jamie offered. "What do you say?"

"Hmmm, fine, I guess." Johnny was still pouting but he was obviously relenting.

"Come on, why don't we go get you another drink?" Jamie said.

"Vodka?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, whatever you like," Jamie laughed. "It's an open bar, courtesy of Tony Stark."

"Okay, great!"

* * *

 **So, there's a little at what Jamie's been up to since she got back to civilization. New things come to play in this, as well as a guest appearance from three members of the Fantastic Four. Don't worry, Johnny isn't her love interest, bit I just figured that Johnny would have a thing for the new pretty girl in the building, so I really wanted to include that into the story. Coulson also makes an appearance! I just love that guy. He'll be popping up a lot more as well. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and please review!  
**

 **Side note: I've gotten a Polyvore account. I'm still getting used it everything there, but I've got some stuff for Solace on there. Jamie and what she looked like included if anybody wants to check it out. The account is demons701.**

 ** _mun3litKnight _ \- **There most definitely is a new challenge. Or several. This chapter doesn't have all too many of them in it because it's a trasition with Jamie trying to integrate back into what she was found normal, which obviously does anymore. And the loss of having her best friend around most certainly has a part to play in that. **  
**

 ** _seasidewriter1 _ -** "enraptured" Wow, nobody's every used that to describe my stuff. That's pretty dang cool! I'm glad you liked the part with Ev in it. I added that little bit in at the last minute, wanting a little more substance to it, as well as a little more background into Jamie, and have her seem a little more realistic with her struggle on pushing through and keep going even when there was very little hope. Everett was her conscious telling her to keep going, that she _could_ do it. I'm so glad you liked it, and I will most definitely try my best to "positively fantastic work."

 ** _BrySt1 -_** I'm so glad you love Jamie! I've worked very hard on her. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one as well.


	6. More Than You Know

**Disclaimer:I do not own Marvel or the Avengers. I only own Jamie and her fellow soldiers.**

* * *

Chapter 6  
More Than You Know

Babysitting always worried Jamie. She loved kids, and she had never been hesitant to take care of them before she had been in captivity, but now? She wondered if she was really in the best state to be placed in charge of a sixteen and eight year old. Then again, she only had to watch them for an hour, most of which would be spent out having pizza for their dinner.

When James, the third surviving member of their platoon had called her desperate for a babysitter, she couldn't refuse. After all, he and his wife were trying to work things out and get back to regular life.

Jamie stepped out of the stairwell and into the lobby. She spotted Agent Coulson in his usual seat, looking down at a tablet in his hands. She walked over to him and leaned against the wall, looking over his shoulder at what she determined was a comic. A rather familiar one, at that.

"Captain America?" Jamie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah," he said, glancing up at the girl. "You're familiar?"

"Of course," she admitted. "My brother and I were really into comics when we were younger. He got me into them. Though he was a bigger fan of Captain America. I was more of a Batman or Nightwing kind of girl. I'd take _Grayson_ any day!"

"Captain America is classic," Coulson said, turning the tablet off.

"That it is," she said. "I'd love to stay and talk nerd with you, but I've gotta head out."

"Did you forget about our appointment?" he asked right a sigh.

"This time I actually didn't do it on purpose either," Jamie informed the agent. "Sorry, Agent Coulson."

"You're going to have to talk to us at some point, Private!"

"Whatever you say, Agent."

* * *

Franco's Pizza was a place Jamie regularly ordered from, though very rarely went to in person. There were too many people going in and out; loud people sitting spread out throughout the place, causing Jamie to be on edge the whole time, no matter what she did to try and help it.

The only reason Jamie was sitting in the corner of the room, closely located to the emergency exit to the alleyway outback was because of the two kids that were present with her. Kyle and Casey, James's sixteen year old and eight year old. James and his wife were out to dinner as well, trying to be a normal married couple again, or something along those lines. Jamie couldn't possibly comprehend how difficult it was for them. She didn't even want to try. She knew it wouldn't do it justice.

Both of the children look a great deal like their father. Both boys were redheads, and Casey had his father's hazel eyes. Kyle, on the other hand, acquired his mother's gene's when it came to eye color, having brown eyes. Both boys were very different personality wise, though. Kyle was much more of a sports person than Casey, who liked to spend his time playing video games and reading.

The pizza had already been consumed, most of which was hogged by the sixteen year old, though Casey came in close second. Now Casey was over at the pac man machine, using up all the spare change Jamie could find around her apartment just for that very purpose. That left the woman and the teenager alone at the table, awkwardly sitting in silence as Jamie watched the youngest kid over Kyle's shoulder.

"How's school going?" Jamie asked, her eyes shifting slightly to the left to meet Kyle's face.

"Fine, I guess," he muttered, clearly not too enthusiastic about the topic.

"Have you started to think about what you want to do after high school?" she asked.

"Not really into the whole college thing," Kyle admitted with a shrug. "Haven't thought about much else."

"I guess I was lucky that I knew what I wanted then," Jamie said. "I mean, I didn't have the panic of deciding what I wanted to do, or where I had to worry about getting into."

"So you just kind of new that was what you wanted to do?" he asked.

"It's still what I want to do, I'm just not allowed to anymore," she admitted, her eyes going over his shoulder to check on Casey.

"You'd still want to go back? After what happened?" Kyle asked.

"It's all I've ever wanted to do," she stated. "My family has been in the military for generations."

He looked at her oddly for a moment, raising an eyebrow as he went on to ask, "So you become a security guard instead?"

"I had to do something, otherwise I'd run out of money," she said. "Plus, I had to do something, otherwise I'd drive myself crazy."

"What about all the money the government gave you?" he asked curiously.

"I'd rather not use it," she answered. "I'd prefer to just work, you know? Keep myself busy, away from thought and memories I don't want to have. It's probably why you're dad's so frustrated that he can't go out and do something. He's stuck with just rehab and his thoughts."

"So, where did you guys go?" he asked, a little out of the blue from what they had been talking about previously. "While you were there, I mean. Mom and Dad don't talk about it."

Jamie hesitated, not knowing if she should tell him about it, seeing as James hadn't, but he was sixteen, soon to be seventeen. He was old enough to at least know that little bit of information. It wasn't like it was classified. "We were in and out of Afghanistan," Jamie said. "But we spent a lot of time in Qatar on base."

"What were they like?"

It was Jamie's turn to look confused. "What were who like?"

"The Afghans," Kyle stated, as if it were obvious.

Jamie narrowed her eyes, not glaring, not confused. Just slanted ever so slightly. "The Afghans were no different than us."

"Seriously?" he gaped.

"Seriously," Jamie repeated. "What did you expect? They're human beings, Kyle. Sure, they may have customs because of their religion, but so do I. They have businesses and jobs and routine just like us."

He shrugged, slouching in his seat. "I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"It's okay. You're young, a lot of people don't think that way. If you don't see it, you don't always fully comprehend it." Jamie glanced over the boy's shoulder again, checking on the youngest once more. It seemed he was getting a little upset at the machine, indicating he was losing.

"What did you guys do there? I mean, while you were on base and stuff."

Jamie shifted her blue eyes back to the boy. "Daily life for a soldier swings between boredom and terror. Familiar trivialities can bring comfort...We talked about the weather, or things going on back home, like Aaron's little brother's State Championships for baseball. Focusing on those meant our attention was diverted from the bodies, the mayhem, the outgoing artillery barrage, and the car bomb that nearly ran us off the road."

"That seriously happened?" he gaped.

"Uh," she muttered, looking down at the empty tray on the table. "Well, yes, it did. I won't pretend that it didn't. You wanted to know what it was like and I'm not going to sugar coat it." She tilted her head, studying the teenagers curiously. "Why are you so curious about this?"

Kyle scoffed, leaning forward in his seat. "My dad comes back from the dead and he's not the same person I knew two years ago. Yeah, I'm wanna know why he's a stranger. I wanna know why he waked up screaming, or why he just zones out. Why he's jumpy and why he always looks like he's in pain."

"Let me guess," Jamie sighed, rubbing her temple. "Your dad has nightmares. He's paranoid and he get flustered with what he can't do. The things he can't control. There's survivor's guilt, for the people we lost; the ones we outlived for some reason. Both before what happened and during..."

"Yeah," Kyle muttered. "That sounds about right."

"And you know what his instincts are telling him?" Jamie asked.

"Beats me," he groaned. "I can't tell what's going through his head anymore."

"It's to retreat somewhere he feels safe, which is with you guys. That should tell you something. He's trying his best to recreate a place in time where he felt secure. He's getting help, trying to repair the relationships with you, your mom, your brother.

"He's doing his best, but you're right. He's not the same man. I'm not the same person, and neither are any of the others that were with us. But your dad's trying, and that should count for something. He loves you. And you still love him, don't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"So, you guys will get through this," Jamie said. "He just needs your help. You gotta keep your eyes on him, and if he seems off, sit with him. Just be there for him because. Trust me, that'll make a hell of a difference. More than you know."

* * *

If anybody had been in the apartment with Jamie, all they would have heard was gasps for breath and coughing. Jamie woke up, gagging, desperate for air. She rolled off of the window she she often found herself sleeping in, due to her bed being too soft. Jamie rested her head against the cool wooden floor, taking in deep breathes to try and calm herself down.

It wasn't as common for Jamie to wake up screaming anymore, but gasping and coughing, and - most often - crying were. her nightmares still plagued her. It wasn't just James that was bothered by everything at night. Jamie did. Graham did. Dove, SHearer - though he always protested - Rhyse and Patrick all had nightmares, whether or not they told anybody outside of their circle was beyond her knowledge, but she assumed they didn't, seeing as most of them, excluding herself and James, were all back on duty with their respective military outposts.

James was trying to deal with it with his family. Jamie didn't have family, So her go to was the gym and working out. Which was where she quite often found herself, or out on the streets running like a murderer was straight on her heels.

But mostly she ended up at the gym.

Late night workouts at the gym were a very common occurrence for Jamie. It was so much so that Wilbanks, the owner of the gym, leant out a key for her just so she could be there as late and long as she needed. Wilbanks had been in the military himself, and often found many active military and retired personnel in his facility. Knowing just how difficult times could be for said soldiers, he took the chance on opening his door and entrusting keys to those of which seemed in desperate need of them.

Jamie, of course, had been included in the act.

The blue eyed girl generally had the place to herself late at night. Most people had to work in the morning, but her schedule was odd, which resulted in her solitude in the gym. Not that she minded any. It allowed her the quiet she enjoyed. She was away from the eyes of the majority of the other people in the gym (which consisted primarily of men).

However, that night, as Jamie worked out, she was joined by one other. It was surprising, to say the least. Jamie stopped mid punch on her punching bag when the 6'2" man walked in. His blond hair was combed to the side, his blue eyes glued to the floor as he walked out of the locker room. His gym bag was handing over his shoulder, his hands already tapped for his workout.

Jamie found it extremely hard not to stare at the man. He was extremely good looking, to say the least. He had a strong physique, yet his eyes and expression were softer, gentler than his physical structure despite his glare at the punching bag. His white shirt clung to him, emphasizing every contour of the man's arms, chest and upper region.

He took up the space several rows down from Jamie, not wanting to interrupt her workout with his own. He gave her a small nod in acknowledgement before beginning. Jamie nodded back, turning her attention to her own bag. She knew very well that the man didn't want attention; she, for one, didn't either.

An hour later, Jamie took a break to go to the vending machine. She had drained her water bottle about thirty minutes prior to her break and she knew that if she didn't get more, she would put more strain on herself than she already was, which wasn't needed. Jamie passed the man on her way, her eyes landing on his empty water bottle as well. He had been there for an hour and had finished his water and made no move to indicate that he would leave anytime soon. He was too absorbed in his own workout.

Jamie bought two waters from the machine and made her way back to the open gym. She stopped and leaned against the pillar several feet from the man, in clear site for him to see that shew as waiting for him to finish what he was doing. He stopped, wiping sweat from his forehead and turned to the girl.

"Uh, may I help you, Ma'am?" the man asked his voice softer than one would expect.

"Here," Jamie stated simply, holding out one of the water bottles to him. "I saw you needed more."

The blond raised an eyebrow, staring at the bottle questioningly. "Oh um, thank you, Ma'am. You didn't have to do that. But it really is appreciated."

"Don't worry about it. I know how it is," she said lamely, shrugging her shoulders. "I get it."

"Get it?" the man asked brows furrowing. "Get what?"

"You military?" she asked first.

"Oh! Uh yes," the man said and hurried took off his glove and held it out for her to shake. "Captain Steve Rogers," he introduced.

"Private Jamie Roe," she offered back, taking his hand. His large, calloused hands were so much bigger than hers. They engulfed them. "How long have you been back?"

"Oh um, well that's actually a really complicated question to answer. Let's just say it's been awhile since I've set foot in New York," he said shyly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Classified?" she asked with a slight huff of amusement. She had heard enough beat-around-the-bush answers like that to know when something was or wasn't classified.

"Unbelievably so," Steve said smiling bashfully.

"So I get it," she said, going back to his original question. "Being back is weird. It's familiar, but completely different at the same time."

"Yeah, you go and expect something to be in someplace or it to be a certain way but it's completely changed in the time you missed. The whole world moved on without you," Steve muttered. "I can't even find my favorite pizza joint."

"Yeah, well, if you're looking for a good place to go, you can't beat Franco's," Jamie told him simply. "At least, in my opinion and I basically grew up on eating pizza alone."

"Oh, um, one second," Steven said and bent down to pull something from his bag out a small scrap piece of paper and a pencil out of his gym bag. He flipped flattened it out and hesitantly looked at the brunette. "Could you, uh, possibly write that down for me?"

"Yes, Sir," she answered, taking the notebook from him. She scribbled down the name of the place, as well as the address for the blond man and handed it back to him once she was done. "Here you go, Captain."

"Thanks," Steve said straightening out. "And please Private Roe, don't call me Captain," he said his face pinched a bit.

"Is that an order, Sir?" Jamie asked, walking backwards to her punching bag.

"If it has to be," Steve said though there was a slight smile in his voice. "I really don't like being called Captain unless on the job."

"Well, then please call me Jamie," she offered.

"U-U-Uh, Ma'am, are you sure about that?" Steve blinked at his, cheeks going a bit more flushed.

"I've been discharged for almost three months now, Rogers," Jamie said. "And they're not letting me back in anytime soon."

"I'm not calling you Ma'am because you're in the military." Steve furrowed his eyebrows. "Do...do guys not do that normally anymore?" he asked softly, watching Jamie as she shook her head to answer. "Honestly that's disrespectful," he grumbled mostly to himself.

"Perhaps," Jamie semi-agreed. "But I'm only twenty-four. Being called "Ma'am" makes me feel older than I am."

"Oh, sorry, I uh can switch to Miss if you like," Steve said bowing his head a bit in apology.

"There's no need to apologize," she told him with a small laugh. "And if it makes you feel more comfortable to call me Miss instead, then by all means call me Miss. But I prefer Jamie. It's what my father called me, after all."

"I-I might stick with just Miss for now, or Miss Jamie. It's a hard habit to break, you know? I was raised that way," Steve said shrugging as he started on his punching bag again.

"Understandable," Jamie said. "Why do you think I still call people Sir and Ma'am?"

"True, so maybe practice watch you preach?" Steve said trying for a joke but it was obviously hard for him to do, still trying to remain polite.

Jamie laughed. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. "Though I have to admit, watching people trying to figure out what the heck you're talking about when you use military time is kind of funny."

"Now I do agree with you on that one." Steve smiled a bit more naturally.

The young woman smiled more naturally herself. The Captain looked as if he had a thousand things on his mind, none of which were making things any easier on him. So to see him smile and ease up, even if it was just a smidge, then it was a win in her books. Plus, Steve looked better with a smile gracing his face than the scowl he had on just before.

More soldiers needed little graces of kindness in the oddest of places. Jamie found that out the hard way. So if she could help one person that had gone through a fraction of what she had, she would do it. The lives they chose weren't easy ones after all.

Jamie pulled the punching bag off the hook and put it over her shoulder, packing up to leave. She walked to the back storage too and put it away before walking back out to grab her back, which sat on the floor where she had been moments before. "I'm heading out. Take care of yourself, Rogers," Jamie told the man.

"You too, Miss Jamie. Be careful out there," Steve said stopping his pummel on his punching bag to nod to her politely. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too!" she called.

* * *

 **There you go! Jamie had now met Steve! Did any of you figure out she'd be meeting him before everything that goes down in the Avengers? I'm sure some of you did. How did it go? What did you think? Thanks goes to _StillDoll13_ for all her help with this. We also got to meet James's kids and Jamie tries to explain a little of what's going on. Hope it was reasonable and actually made sense. Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you liked it, please review!**

 **Thanks go to the following people for their reviews:**

 _ **mun3litKnight** _ \- Yeah, SHIELD definitely is relentless when it comes to finding out information. And you can bet they know the group is keeping information from them. Everything just seems so rehearsed; too similar. But I agree about how Jamie needs help. This chapter kind of sets stuff up for that. She helps another person, in this case Steve, and it kind of makes _her_ feel a little better, even if she didn't really say anything about her situation or vent. Talking about it with Kyle helped a little bit too, seeing as she admitted that she too was having issues, much like James. Thank you for your lovely review. I'm glad you liked the chapter.

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- 1) I'm so glad you like the story! It's always nice to hear that people are attracted to whatever the heck is floating around in my head and I put on paper. 2) You'll just have to wait and see on the whole Aaron-being-Jamie's-Bucky front. I'm not spoiling anything. 3) Yeah, Tony's always funny to write for. In the last chapter, much of what Tony said was thanks to my friend _**StillDoll13**_. She's perfect with sarcasm and witty comebacks. I shall let her know you enjoyed it so much. Thank you so much for your review! Glad you liked it.

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- You're right, some of the best material comes at the last second. I'm just glad I ended up putting it in there. I'm very happy that you thought I integrated everything so well. I'm always worried that whatever I'm writing will just completely feel like an add in, which it is, but there's more to it than that, you know? There's actual substance behind the characters and the history, as well as figuring out how to make the chemistry between the characters and how they fit together. I'm go glad you thought that her stress and anxieties about, well, everything was close/right on to how it actually is. I really aimed for that. I did a lot of research and it took a while to figure out, but I like what it came to. I wanted to stress that Jamie isn't perfect. Things bother and effect her like they do _everybody_ else. Thank you for your lovely long review and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

 _ **etatheta** _ \- I'm very glad you like it! And to answer your question, no. Tony doesn't know who Jamie is yet. She's just some random girl that happened to be a date of an attendee of his fundraiser, and he ended up liking. Thank you for your review!


	7. Strive for Better

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Avengers. I only own Jamie and her fellow soldiers, nor do I own The Newsroom, which part of the conversation from the first part comes from.**

* * *

Chapter 7  
Strive for Better

Jamie made it to the gym much earlier than she normally did that rainy Saturday. And since it was raining and gloomy outdoors, more people spent their time away in the gym. The blue eyed girl wasn't fond of the crowd, but she accepted it and found one empty spot at the punching bags to occupy herself.

Her neighbors were rather loud and obnoxious though. The girl glanced over at the one young man working out with two other men standing around him. They didn't seem all too preoccupied with working out, rather more bragging and gossiping about themselves and their country.

It was obvious to Jamie that the black haired male was showing off to the shorter redhead and the brunet male beside her had been in the military since he turned eighteen and was currently taking classes to prepare him for his position in the service. He was proud of that, and Jamie found nothing wrong with that.

What she had a problem with was his ignorance.

"By the time I get out of the military, with all the experience it give me and my education, I'll be able to get a job wherever I want," he said. "It's one of the reasons why America is the best country in the world."

"Don't forget Freedom," the redhead said.

"Diversity and opportunity," the third party member added.

 _Keep your mouth shut, Jamie. Shut up and mind your own business,_ she repeated to herself. She couldn't help but scoff though, which caught their attention. She tried to mind her own business, leaving the guys to their conversation, as they were entitled to. The other three, however, wanted to know what Jamie found oh so amusing.

"You've got something to say, baby?" the black haired kid asked.

Jamie turned to the guy, holding her punching bag steady. "I do, but we won't like what I have to say."

"Is that so?" he pressed. "Try me, sweetcheeks. What's on your mind? You girls love to talk about stuff like that, don't you?"

 _Oh, he did not just say that_ , Jamie thought. "Alright, you asked for it," Jamie sighed. First Jamie turned to the redhead, addressing his statement first. "You're seriously going to claim that America is so star-spangled amazing that we're the only ones in the world that have freedom?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The UK, France, Italy, German, Spain, Australia, Belgium. All of which have freedom. Two hundred and seven sovereign states in the world, like one hundred eighty of them have freedom.

"And you," she said, turning to the black haired male. "Just so you know, there is no evidence to support that America is the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, one hundred seventy-eighth in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force.

"We lead the country in only three things: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and don't get me wrong, I'm Catholic, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined. Twenty-five of whom are allies. So I don't know what the heck you're talking about. America? The best country in the world?

"Maybe we used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't scare so easily.

"Don't get me wrong. I love America, and the people here, and I've proudly fought for them," she said, pulling out her dog tags that were inside her shirt. "But there's no denying that there's a lot to work on. Instead of looking at what we're good at, we need to try and get better at what we aren't.

"I didn't get shot and stabbed for my country because we're the "greatest." I was almost killed because I wanted to fight for the people I care about. The people I know can and will be great. I don't care about statistics because people overcome the odds. That's why we're not lost. That's why we can still be the greatest country in the world. Because we don't give up. We try."

Jamie shook her head at the boys, who stood there gaping at the woman. "Being great doesn't mean being without flaw," she added. "That," she said, pointing at them, "is what you need to learn if you are going to represent this country. That's what you need to learn to make it proud."

Jamie turned, leaving the boys with that to think over. She grabbed her bag at her feet and turned to make her way to the locker room to shower and change when she stopped, her blue eyes catching sight of a blond haired Captain. He stood against a pillar, his arms crossed as he obviously had been listening to what the girl and the young men had been saying. She nodded at the man and left to change, wondering just what the Captain had thought of her rant.

The brunette showered and changed back into her clothes before making her exit from the gym. Before she had the chance of getting too far away from the gym, she caught of Captain Rogers again, who was leaning against the building, seemingly lost in thought. And Jamie knew far too well that for people like her and him, it was a dangerous place to be lost in.

Jamie leaned up against the wall next her him, her bag still hanging over her shoulder. "You all right there, Sir?" she asked softly.

Rogers didn't seem to take what she had said. He remained still, eyes watching cars go by on the street. Just when Jamie was about to ask him again, he opened his mouth and spoke. "...You know, we weren't that great back when we were the greatest," Steve muttered to her.

"What?" she asked, not completely getting what he said.

"You know back when...we were considered the greatest." Steve said, sounding as if he suddenly corrected his train of thought. "We were doing a lot of bad things too. Like segregation and racism. Internment camps during World War II though I didn't know about that one till much later," Steve grumbled. "My point is, great doesn't mean without flaw. We did a lot of things I don't agree with, but that was the time. It was considered normal."

"And that is why I said we aspire to be better than our pasts," Jamie told him. "We're human. Our country is made up of flawed human beings and all we can try to do is be better than what we were yesterday. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I do. But to me the past is...kinda all I have. And to suddenly know we're doing worse now that what I've known, and that was pretty bad. It's kind of depressing...they don't tell you what was lost in the history books." Steve grumbled.

"No, they don't," Jamie agreed. "But, then again, I guess you always have to find something that we've gained. When you don't see a way out and there's not much there for you, all you have is hope, right? We have to hope to be better than ourselves. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope that maybe we can make a difference."

"And you make your own way out." Steve nodded slowly. "I've been in those kind of situations...a lot. I mean, I used to be a scrawny kid from Brooklyn getting beat up behind the new Cinema."

"I used to get bullied too," she admitted.

"Really? I mean, that's just horrible to put a lady through that kind of thing," Steve huffed, seeming to have an old timey world view.

Jamie shrugged. "Well, I can tell your parents raised you right, Rogers," she laughed. "That's sweet." Jamie ran a hand threw her hair, moving a strand that fell in front of her face behind her ear. "Here I thought chivalry was dead."

"I-I uh well, umm I uh kinda," The man blinked at her and opened and closed his mouth, too embarrassed to really say anything. "I just, umm,"

Jamie just laughed and shook her head. "You're a good man, Captain Rogers."

"Oh, um thank you. I-I really do owe it to my parents." He said nodding slowly. "You seem like a classy lady yourself, Miss Roe."

"Classy?" Jamie laughed. "Oh, Honey, you wouldn't think that if you saw me lazing around my apartment eating ice cream out of the container." And it was true. On her off days she barely left her couch.

"Classy doesn't have to mean fancy," Steve shrugged. "To me it means that your kind and nice to everyone and give people a chance before you judge."

"Well, I owe that to my father and my brother then," Jamie said.

"They sound like good family to have," Steve said smiling a bit.

"They were," she nodded slowly.

"I was an only kid, though my friend Bucky was like a brother to me."

"Well, I'm happy you had someone close like that," Jamie said. "Everybody deserves that. I honestly wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't had my brother. He was the most honorable man I ever knew."

"He also in the military? I know Bucky really encouraged me to enlist, even when I was a scrawny boy." Steve asked her.

"Yeah, he was," Jamie sighed. "We lost him in Kandahar when I was thirteen."

"Sorry to hear that, both my parents were killed in war," Steve said, though not saying where or when. "Mom was a nurse. She got sick and couldn't shake it. My father was a soldier."

"My dad was too," she admitted. "He died in action like my brother. About a year later."

"Well I'm glad we can come from understanding each other like that." Steve smiled. "It's an honor they served so you can't complain, but you still miss them."

"Mm," she hummed. "And Bucky?" she asked. "Is he…?"

"Uh y-y-yeah. Lost him on a mission. couldn't get to him in time." Steve mutter. "Sorry, the rest is classified."

"Hey, I don't need the details," she told him, bumping his arm with her own. "And I'm sorry. I can honestly say I know how not being able to get to someone in time feels like."

"Yeah, you served. I guess you know what it likes. Thanks, Miss Roe." Steve muttered a sad smile on his face.

"Anytime, Sir," she said. "You looked like you needed someone to talk to."

"Thanks, and yeah. I guess I do sometimes. Though the same thing can be said about you." Steve said pointedly.

"I guess you're right," she sighed. Jamie shifted her bag uncomfortably on her shoulder. It did feel better to get a little bit of that off her chest, she had to admit. She could tell Rogers meant what he said too. "You have a phone?"

"O-Oh um yes, that's this," Steve said as he produced the device from his pocket. He had to be the one guy in New York without a smartphone.

"May I?" she asked, holding her hand out, asking for the phone.

"O-Oh uh yeah, here," Steve said handing the device over.

Jamie took the phone and went to his contacts. She put her name and number in before handing it back to him with a soft smile. "If you ever need someone to, you know, listen to or talk, give me a call. I'm all ears."

"Oh um right...how do I call?" Steve asked suddenly. "I-I'm technologically… hindered."

"See this down arrow?" she asked, pointing it out on the phone. "Press it when you're on the regular screen. It'll bring you to your contacts. Then just use the arrows to get to the name you want. I added mine in. Once you're on it, just hit the green button."

"Oh thanks," Steve said greatfully. "Sorry about that."

"Don't feel bad," Jamie said with a lame shrug. "When I got back I could barely write my name. Though I _did_ come back knowing Arabic."

"Really? Wow, it's kind of weird, the normal daily things you can forget."

"I had a bigger need for knowing Arabic then writing," she said. _Locked in a cell didn't provide much of a chance to write home,_ she thought. _But Arabic allowed me to know what the bastards were talking about. Thank you Amir._

"True." Steve nodded, knowing that's where she was stationed.

Jamie pushed off the wall and took in a deep breath, trying to drop the heavy feeling that weighed down on her from their serious conversation. "I'm heading out," she said. "You take care, Rogers. And don't be a stranger, okay?"

"You too, Miss Roe." Steve smiled a bit as he gave a slight wave to her.

* * *

Jamie stretched her neck, rubbing it with one hand while the other guarded her handbag as she walked down the street on her way home from a long eight hour shift at the Baxter Building. The only reason she found it long was because of one thing. Or one person, rather. It was none other than Johnny Storm.

Johnny said he would cut back on his flirtations, and Jamie was still waiting on that. It did slow down somewhat. Johnny wasn't down everyday to see Jamie, just every other day. Now, instead of constant flirtation though, he also made casual conversation. Though,it was between unbearable pickup lines At this point, it was primarily all jokingly though. He could see that Jamie was very firm in not going out with him. He respected that. Didn't like it, but respected her for it nonetheless.

Jamie subconsciously flexed her hands into fists, gently releasing it a fraction and tightening them once more. She could feel the energy tingling through the palm of her hand, shooting through her fingertips. She could feel it, but she knew it wasn't visible. The action had quickly become habit for her, as she learned to deal with constantly feeling the energy coursing through her body. Seeing as for sixth months of the near ten months she had her abilities had been under the influence of the neutralizer, she had to constantly deal with the abnormal, though she was getting used to it rather quickly, sensation.

As the young woman walked, keeping to herself, small, subtle raindrops started to fall from the sky, landing on the pavement and sidewalk, creating little circles on the ground. She glanced up, enjoying the cool sensation. That didn't last long, however, because as quickly as the soft rain started, it changed to a downpour, soaking the girl to the bone.

 _I knew I should have brought an umbrella,_ Jamie thought with a sigh. She looked down at her now soaked work shoes, and was very thankful she had decided against wearing heels that morning. Otherwise she would have been slipping right out of them.

The sound of the rain was one of the only prominent sounds around the girl. It was never really silent in the city, but she didn't hear as many car horns or music, or even gunshots as she made her way home that wet evening. She was thankful for that peace. She liked to keep herself busy to prevent herself from returning to her past traumas, but every once in a while she loved peace and quiet to just be alone and feel nothing or thing nothing.

She didn't think of much in particular as she walked. She would observe the environment around her; catching the details of the buildings, glancing through windows as families sat watching television, or getting ready for bed. It was peaceful, seeing people in their natural ways and routines. It was refreshing to see people in a content routine, and not her and her soldiers forced into their hellish routines they were forced to go through while they were being held.

Jamie was glad to be alive and back, but if she could have it her way, she would have been still be overseas, fighting to try and find and take down the people that did that to her and her friends. Chances are that if they did it to them once, they would do it to other people. And Jamie, with her morals and sense of justice, could not let that happen and be happy about it. But she wasn't doing anything, and she wasn't happy.

Even being overseas doing what she had been doing before, working for the military as a sniper. She would have been a lot more comfortable with that even. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to do, but it was better the simply being a security guard. Not that she thought being a security guard wasn't important. They were a line of defense to people and thing and places. She wasn't downgrading it, but she wanted to be out there utilizing her specialized skills.

Jamie stopped in her tracks the second she heard a loud, piercing scream. The scream was indistinguishably female, and there were only a couple options for when one would hear a woman's scream. She was either getting mugged, raped or murdered, and none of those were very good things. The muscles in Jamie's stomach tightened making her feel sick. She didn't like to think about those things.

She knew she should just keep walking. Keep her head down and mind her own business. She shouldn't get involved with whatever the hell was going on. It didn't concern her. It wasn't her job to protect random people - _women_ \- on the street. She would end up getting beaten and bruised at the _very least._ This wasn't her concern. No, it was a job for the police.

Then again, the response rate for the NYPD was 8.4 minutes, and that was if they were given the correct information, or if anybody even called at all. The whole bystander effect came into play. And if the Bystander Effect was actually a factor, that woman would have no chance whatsoever, no matter what it was the person(s) were doing to her.

Against Jamie's better judgement, she bolted it. She ran straight in the direction the first scream had come from. She knew several seconds later that she was going in the right direction, as the woman screamed once more, pulling Jamie even closer in the correct direction. As Jamie rounded the corner of the street, and saw a young woman, no older than twenty-five or twenty-six being held against the brick wall of one of the buildings by a short, buff teenage male, while a second guy, who was much taller than the other guy, rummaged through the young woman's purse.

"Hey!" Jamie yelled, slowly coming to a stop several feet from the group. "Let her go and give her back her purse," she instructed evenly.

The two men froze, glancing at the newly arrived woman, before glancing at one another with scoffs. "Huh, more game," the one rummaging through the bag stated. He charged to Jamie, aiming to grab her course he believed her to be a defenseless girl.

Jamie grit her teeth, tossing her bag behind her before quickly stepping toward the charging man. She stretched out her arm, clothes lining the thug. He halted, huffing as the air was knocked out of his lungs. This gave Jamie the perfect opportunity to raise her knee, bashing it between the man's legs. As he bent over, the brunette grabbed his head, bringing it down to her knee. He fell to the wet ground unconscious.

While she was distracted by the first man, the second man hit the victim on the head, disorienting her before he moved towards Jamie. Before she had the chance to turn to him after knocking his partner out, he hit her hard in the face with his elbow. His limb came in contact with her eye, surly bruising it enough to cause a substantial amount of swelling in the next several minutes. She was surprised there wasn't any breakage either.

She stumbled several steps back, fighting the dizziness that same with the pain in her head. The man moved quickly, grabbing Jamie by her long brown hair. He swung her around and threw her into the building wall, knocking the air out of her and disorienting her even more. She cried out upon impact with the brick, then a groan on the ground, in a large muddy puddle.

It took her a moment to regain composure and stand up. The man was standing at her purse, rummaging through the content to see if she had anything valuable. Jamie let out a growl and lunged forward, tackling the man to the ground, and started to punch him in the face one after another until he was unconscious, just like his buddy. Once she knew he was done and out for the count, she got up and made her way to the still disoriented young woman.

The young woman was cradling her head, sitting up straighter as Jamie kneeled beside her. "Are you alright?" Jamie asked and she finally heard sirens wailing. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing the police car stopping several feet from them.

"Y-Yeah," she muttered, looking up at at Jamie with hazel eyes. "Thank you so much."

Jamie nodded her head, glancing at the unconscious thugs, the cops before resting her blue eyes on the young woman with a small, sympathetic smile. "I'm just glad you're okay," Jamie said.

* * *

 **Well, you got more Steve and Jamie time in this chapter, as well as Jamie struggling with the fact that she is no longer in the military, and with her sense of justice. She wants to help people, she's just afraid to get into more trouble and getting hurt anymore than she already has. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Oh, and if you guys have any suggestions for things you want to see Jamie (and other characters that have been in the story already) do before the Avengers movie part of the story actually happens, let me know. I won'y promise that it'll happen, but I sure can try! Anyway, thanks for reading and please review.**

 **Thanks go to the following for their review on the last chapter:**

 ** _Jesla777_ \- **I had a good deal of help on Steve from ** _StillDoll13_.** She's the perfect gentlemen/male love interest! It's so funny. But I'm really glad you thought it fit as much as it did. I was really worried about that. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reviewing.

 ** _StillDoll13_ -** You do make a very good guy. It's a little weird, but extremely useful. I greatly appreciate that talent of yours, Fruitcake! This story is like 1/3 yours, after all.

 ** _mun3litKnight_ \- **Yeah, how could I not have them go to the same gym? It was just too easy. I'm glad they met too. I can see a very comfortable friendship between them. Both being soldiers, they know how to comfort the other. They know what to do and what not to do. Even if the wars they fought in were drastically different.

 ** _DarkLight2589_ \- **Wow, I'm so glad you liked it that much. I try my best to put in as much detail as I can without making it over barring. I wouldn't say it's perfect, but I like it. And so do you, apparently. So I thank you for your wonderful review and I hope you liked this chapter as much as you liked the others!

 ** _shika03_ \- **Thank you! I'm very glad you thought so! I hope you liked this chapter as much as the previous ones.

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- You were hoping she'd meet him pre-Avengers? Huh, didn't exactly expect that. Any particular reason why? I was aiming for realistic, so yay! I'm glad I didn't disappoint. And I don't think you'd have to worry too much. I love Art, and I don't think she feels like an add in. OMG I made you have feels! YES! Mission accomplished! I was hoping that particular scene would hit some people. Thank you for another long review. I hope you liked this chapter, and I look forward to the next chapter with Art in it.

 _ **TrueManevolanGirl4899** _ \- Thank you so much for your review. I've had a lot of help from _**StillDoll13** _ on Tony and Johnny. She's the perfect guy lol. And yeah, I can see Tony kind of being a brotherly figure at some point. WAIT WAIT WAIT THE GUY HACKED YOUR EMAIL? My word, that's pushing it! Def. don't see Johnny doing that though.


	8. To Share and Not To Share

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Marvel or Avengers. I only own Jamie and her fellow soldiers**

* * *

Chapter 8  
To Share and Not To Share

Walking out of the stairwell and into the lobby of Jamie's apartment building, she found Agent Coulson sitting in his usual wooden chair, a newspaper firmly in his hands as he read it over with a tilted head. Jamie had a couple minutes to kill as she waited for her ride to arrive, so she decided to occupy the seat next to him, crossing her legs and watched him silently.

"Nice shiner," Coulson said without looking away from his newspaper.

"Way to compliment a girl, Agent Coulson," Jamie chuckled with a roll of her eyes.

"I read the police report," he stated, folding up the newspaper. "That was a very honorable thing you did. Stupid, but honorable."

"I couldn't just let her get mugged, or who knows what else would happen," Jamie stated, slouching in her chair. She shrugged and said, "You probably would have done the same thing."

"Maybe," Coulson said, turning to look at her straight on. "Are you ready for our meeting now?"

"You know what I think?" Jamie asked.

"And what is that, Private Roe?" he sighed, knowing very well that he wasn't going to get that debriefing.

"That you read the newspaper when you work for a secretive organization that probably knows everybody's dirty secrets already."

"Oh, not everybody's," he stated.

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Yes, we don't know your's yet."

Jamie gulped and stood up, her face with a small fake smile plastered on it. "I'll see you around, Agent Coulson," she said in farwell.

"Yes, yes you will, Private Roe," Coulson shot back.

* * *

"I can't believe you stepped in on a mugging," James laughed.

Jamie just rolled her eyes and picked up her glass of water to take a sip. James and Jamie were meeting up for lunch to catch up, something they were long overdue for. It was also her excuse that she had for skipping out on her meeting with Agent Coulson that week. She was starting to run out of excuses.

"Yeah, yeah, Laugh it up," Jamie laughed. "At least the girl still has all her money."

"Yeah, and who knows what else they would have done to her if you hadn't been there," James reasoned. "Though, I have to say, black and blue is not your color."

"Shut up," she said, swatting his arm.

"So, what's up with you lately?" he asked. "How's work been?"

"Good, I guess," she answered. "Johnny's not really leaving me alone like he said he would, but I think I'm getting used to just ignoring his comments."

"Why don't you just go out with him again?" James asked.

"Because he's not my type," Jamie answered.

"And what is your type?" he pressed teasingly.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "I don't know, just not Johnny."

"Aw, that's just mean!" he laughed.

"What about you? What's new?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Things are doing okay," he answered with a nod. "Kyle's been a lot better lately. Casey's still as playful as ever."

"That's great," she exclaimed. "And you and your wife?"

"We're getting patched up," he said. "Slowly, but we're getting there. I'm just glad she never went on any of those blind dates her mother tried to set her up on."

"That's great to hear, James," Jamie said.

"Yeah, but wish SHIELD would leave us alone," he added in annoyance.

"They're hassling you too?" she asked.

"Yeah, they don't exactly buy that we told the whole story," he said. "After all, it is a little unbelievable that after being in captivity for over a year we managed to break out with only a handful of us."

"You haven't told them anything though, have you?"

James scoffed. "Hell no,  
"Me either," she informed him. "But Agent Coulson sure is getting on my nerves. I like the guy and all, but his bosses don't give up."

"Wait, you actually like a government suit?" James laughed.

"Hey, any guy that's into comics can't be too bad!"

* * *

It hadn't been a big deal. Jamie was capable of taking down a dozen men by herself. Stopping a girl from getting mugged by two common street thug was nothing she couldn't take care of on her own. It just made her anger that she actually had to take care of it, especially when the person they were mugging wasn't even her.

The thugs had the audacity of jumping a defenseless woman in the middle of the night. They threatened her and terrified her. What right did they have doing that to another person? They needed to grow up and get jobs.

Jamie punched the bag in front of her even harder than her previous hit. People like that really pissed her off. Taking advantage of the fearful and weak. Scaring and hurting innocent people. She hated it. Absolutely hated it.

The brunette turned, skillfully kicking the punching bag with as much force as she could muster. She hadn't worked out that intensely in a long time. She would be sore in the morning, that was for sure. Jamie was so focused on her attacks that she hadn't heard someone else join her in the gym.

"M-Miss Roe!" A familiar voice called to her.

Jamie jumped and swore under her breath, turning around to face Captain Rogers. She sighed, running a hand threw her hair, moving it out of her face. "Make a little noise next time, Rogers," she panted, turning back to her punching bag.

"Sorry for startling you, Miss Roe, bu-but I saw your eye!" Steve said stepping closer.

"A black eye is nothing," she told him, spinning around in another kick. "Honestly, I've had worse."

"Miss Roe, please. A black eye might be a small thing but it's not nothing. What happened?" Steve asked his baby blues staring intently at her with worried glances.

Jamie sighed, turning back to the blond. "There was a woman getting mugged," she said. "So I stopped it. Simple as that."

Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, I can't get to upset about that, since I'd do the same thing," Steve muttered. "But please tell me the man was apprehended. To hit a lady is a top offense in my book, even if she was swinging at you."

"They were," she told him. "And I don't know if I should be insulted or not."

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I-It's just how I was raised. A lady deserves respect and all that. I don't doubt you can handle yourself. B-But it's still kind of upsetting, you know? Since I like to think we're friends and I'd like to also think you'd be upset if I had a black eye and-" Steve said his rant becoming rather drawn out.

Jamie took in a deep breath, calming herself down. "Captain, calm down," she instructed. "It's okay," she said. "I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I was scared I made you mad. I'm really old fashioned with all that kind of stuff so I can come off as a...what's the word I'm looking for..." Steve trailed off.

"A myopic misogynist?" Jamie said, trying to help the guy out.

"Yeah that. But I assure you I believe women are very capable. One of my SO's was a woman." He said, eyes growing distant.

"I don't think that," she told him before her gaze softened. "She was important to you," Jamie stated slowly. "Wasn't she?"

"Very. Her name was Peggy. I...it won't work now." Steve shook his head. "She moved on while I was...away."

"I'm sorry," Jamie said.

"Don't be, I don't blame her for moving on, and in fact I'm elated she did or else she might have been waiting alone for a long time...they thought I was dead," Steve murmured softly as if that face confused him. "And I did too...for a while there."

"You and me both," Jamie muttered more to herself than to Rogers.

"Another way we're alike. Though I'm positive our situations we're...extremely different."

"Absolutely positive," Jamie agreed. "Now you know part of the reason why I'm messed up though. That doesn't make you want to run for the hills?"

"Not messed up, just frazzled." Steve insisted placing his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, the most contact they've ever made. "And no, it doesn't. I have plenty of my own baggage. Feels like a decades worth."

"I just," she sighed. "I wish I could talk about it. But there are only two people I can. One's already moved on and doesn't really want anything to do with me and the other person, and the last has already dealt with it. He's got kids and whatnot so that helped push him through it."

"Classified?" Steve asked. "If not I'm willing to listen. Or heck there's plenty of support groups."

"So classified that _they_ don't even know what happened," she muttered without realizing it.

"That's not really fair. You're CO needs to get you some help." Steve frowned, his arms crossing over his chest. "Can I get you're commanding officer's or at least the person observing your case's name?" Steve asked his voice hard, determined to help.

"No," Jamie told him, glancing up at him slowly. "He's dead."

He was obviously trying to think of another way after hearing that. "What about the person who debriefed you? He'd be subsiding over you now," Steve stuttered.

"There was no debriefing," Jamie told him.

Steve glared at the floor. "I can...make some calls if you like. Get you some help. I kind of have friends in high and rather secretive places," he offered kindly, his eyes showing that it really was an innocent offer, just with her well being in mind.

"That's kind of you," she said, a small smile on her face. He wasn't getting it. It wasn't that they weren't trying to get their stories straight. It was the fact that nobody involved was willing to tell them what happened. "But, uh, some things are best kept buried, you know?"

"But you said...you are kind of confusing if you don't mind me saying, Miss Roe," Steve grumbled to her.

"I know, I'm sorry," she chuckled, her head falling forward onto the punching bag. "Bad things happened over there," she admitted. "Things that people should never have to go through. Things that I can't talk about, because if I do, there's a chance someone else could do it to other people. Gotta protect whoever I can, right?"

"Now _that_ is easy to understand." Steve agreed.

Jamie huffed in amusement. She slowly turned around, looking back up at the tall blond. "So we're friends, huh?"

"I'd like to think so. Or at least...gym buddies?" Steve asked shyly. "We did just get pretty emotionally deep there."

"Well, if we're friends then you have to call me Jamie," she said. "No more Miss."

"Alright, but only if I'm Steve." He smiled at her, dimples in full view now.

Jamie bit her lip _. God, he's cute when he does that_ , she thought. She smirked. "Alright then," Jamie said. "Thanks for listening, Steve. Even if it is confusing."

"Thanks for talking, Jamie." Steve replied. "Now come on, we need to keep our workout schedule right?"

"Right," she laughed. "Why do you come so late anyway? I mean, I work odd shifts. What about you?"

"You can say that. I also don't like crowds and this is the time where there is the least amount of people."

"I hate crowds too," she said. "I went on this date once and the guy took me to this fundraiser packed with people. I was so far out of my element it wasn't even funny. I contemplated hiding in the bathroom for the majority of it."

"That's horrible!" Steve agreed. "I mean if you're going to take a lady out at least allow her to chose where you go to ensure she has the best time."

"Aren't you the gentlemen," she laughed. "But I survived so I guess I can't complain too much. Except that I only agreed to go on one date with him in order to get him to stop flirting, which didn't work whatsoever." She turned to Steve and added, "I didn't think that through very well."

"I could um...show up to work and ask him to kindly stop. Have a talk, man-to-man," Steve said softly. It's hard imagining him doing anything violent, despite his build. He was like a big Labrador puppy defending his master from a lawn mower.

"No, no, no," she muttered. "It's okay. He's harmless," _kind of,_ "really. He's just not used to _not_ getting the girl."

"Oh...yeah I definitely know the types." Steve murmured. "Grew up with them actually. One time one of my few friends in school, who happened to be a girl, was being harassed by a guy like that. I tried to stop him but, you know, scrawny kid with asthma," he muttered sheepishly. "Bucky handled it...after I got a double black eye."

"Did _you_ get the girl?" she asked.

"O-Oh no!" Steve said his face flushing bright red. "N-No, no, like I keep repeating. Scrawny kid, but that's okay. She was more like a sister anyway."

"Well, if it was me and a sweet guy like you did that for me, I would have fallen for it," she said. "Anybody willing to go to bat for you is a keeper."

"W-Well thanks, Jamie, I don't think you'll be needing any defense from me though." Steve said jokingly.

"Just because a girl can dish it doesn't mean she always want to dish it," she informed him. "But I get it. I was a small, lanky, flat chested kid with braces. Got picked on quite a bit."

"Well, if you were as amazing as you are now, I would have been friends with you with no doubt!" Steve encouraged just like she did him.

"My brother helped me out a lot in those situations," she said. "Like you with your friend. I'm sure he would have liked you."

"Thanks, Bucky would have adored you, for sure. He was rather doll dizzy. But not overly so, you know? A tease really," Steve chuckled a bit.

"I'm not great with stuff like that," she said. "I honestly wasn't the best date for Johnny. Nor am I the most experienced girl in the dating world."

"Why not?" he asked confused.

"A lot of guys find it intimidating that I can use a gun better than they can," she laughed.

"Peggy was really the first girl I was...you know...actually interested in. And she was a way better shot than me. I know first hand. She uh, shot at me." Steve chuckled.

"She _did_?" Jamie gaped.

"Yeah, I luckily had a shield. She claimed to be testing it but I think she was angry about something," Steve muttered a confused look on his face, as if he still didn't understand why.

"What did you do to piss her off?" Jamie asked with a laugh.

"I didn't do anything! At least, nothing I know of!" Steve muttered.

"Mhm, that's what they all say!" Jamie teased.

"I really don't know! She was happy one minute and then later she was flipping her lid."

"Well, something you did had to have set her off," Jamie said. "Girls like her generally have a reason. But hey! At least she didn't actually shoot you," the girl said. "And I'm glad she didn't."

"You and me both. I think she planned on me turning around and blocking the shot with the shield...I think." Steve muttered.

"Eh, if she liked you, even if she was mad, she would have planned it," Jamie said. "Me on the other hand, would have _gladly_ shot my ex if I had been physically present at the time he broke up with me."

"What in the world did he do?" Steve asked her.

"I know long distance and military relationships are hard, but that doesn't give him the excuse to cheat on me with several other girls," Jamie said.

"If I had known you then I would have hunted him down first thing on shore leave for you." Steve grumbled. "It's just disgusting."

"Thank you," Jamie said. "That's sweet. A couple guys from my platoon sent him some no-so-very polite messages though, so I think he got what was coming," Jamie laughed.

"I applaud them." Steve chuckled a bit.

"I kind of laid off dating after that though," Jamie said. "It's not like I had much time for it anyways."

"Same here, with Peggy, I mean. Though to me the blow is kinda recent with her," Steve said. "It's uh, complicated."

"I getcha," Jamie said. "No need to explain."

"Thank you, cause I have no idea how else to explain it." Steve sighed in relief.

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Jamie said. "I'll take your word for it. That's what a friend does, right? If or when you want to talk about it, you will and I'll be here. Until then, I don't need to know and you don't need to tell."

"Same goes to you, Jamie. I mean it. I got a lot of time on my hands," Steve promised her.

"Thanks," she muttered.

 _Maybe someday I'll even take you up on that, Steve. Maybe someday._

* * *

 **There's a whole bunch of interactions in this chapter. Phil, James and Steve. Man...Jamie needs from female friends! Anywho, hope you guys liked it. Oh, and if you guys have any things you want Jamie to do before the events of Avengers takes place, let me know. I can't promise anything, but I sure can try! Anyway, please review!**

Thanks to the following people for their reviews:

 _ **Jelsa777** _ \- And look at that! Even more Jamie and Steve time! I'm just giving it all to you guys, aren't I? I'm sure **_StillDoll13 _** appreciates that. If she hasn't read it already, I'll be sure to tell her. Phill will be in it more, I assure you. I absolutely love Phil. His dorkiness matches my own. I do follow the movie, but if you follow all of the Cinematic Universe things which includes Agents of SHIELD, you'll probably like that I do. ;) Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the lovely review!

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- Thank heavens for friends, right? I've got the same type of friends, just not the stalker, so I guess I lucked out? Anyway, I've really glad you liked the chapter. I was afraid people wouldn't like it because so many people are very proud to be American, and don't get me wrong, I'm American and very proud to be so, I just happen to view things a lot like how I wrote it in for Jamie (not that I'm Jamie, or vice versa. Just a couple little things here and there to make her seem a little more individual and realistic in a universe that really isn't). I'm just really glad you like her and how she's growing. Thank you for your lovely review!

 _ **shika93** _ \- I'm so glad you thought it was a great chapter. Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!

 _ **ToFallUponTheNight** _ \- Oh, thank heavens you believe that it's progressing at a good pace. I was afraid to go this slow, but I also wanted people to get to know Jamie more before everything happens in Avengers, because sometimes just throwing the character in can seem rushed. I want people to feel Jamie, to learn what she's like and to feel invested in her, not just the movies and whatnot.

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- Yay, I love it when people love it! I'm sorry you had a stressful week. I did as well (Classes started back up this week at my college. Blah). But I know exactly how you feel. Reading can totally bring you away from the stress of the world around you. I agree with you, again, that Steve does get in a different mind set while he's working. I'm hoping to throw him off a little bit though, but that's all I'm going to say on that matter. I was hesitant to put in Jamie's rant because 1) It's based on a scene in The Newsroom and 2) I was afraid people would pitch a fit. I'm American and very proud to be so, I just happen to view things a lot like how I wrote it in for Jamie. I also love leaving long reviews, and the better the story the easier it is to go. I'm glad you liked it.

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Nah, it came out perfectly fine! So don't you worry about a thing. I'm really glad you like this story, and believe that the pace is going. I was hesitant to have it be this slow, but I really want people to feel Jamie, and get to know her. Sometimes just throwing the characters in at the very beginning can be rushed, and I didn't want that. I want her to be as realistic as possible in a world that really isn't. And you've never found someone else that uses Sweetcheeks? Really? Oh you poor thing! I use it all the time jokingly with my friends. I hope you liked this chapter, Sweetcheeks!


	9. All Work and No Play

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, The Fantastic 4, Marvel or anything other than Jamie and her fellow Soldiers/OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 9  
Title

"Seriously, Johnny," Jamie groaned, "I have to work."

"You would never have to work another day in your life if you just agreed to marry me now," he pressed, leaning against the front counter where the security guards were stationed.

"Again, not happening," Jamie insisted, placing her flashlight back on the charging post. "Now seriously, Johnny," Jamie said, grabbed the newspaper Logan had been reading. She made sure she kept her hands behind raised front of the desk where he couldn't see, as she rolled the paper up into a tube. "I've got work to do!"

"But you're much better company than my sister! Not to mention _Ben_!" Johnny groaned. "That hunk of rock doesn't have a sense of humor whatsoever."

"Maybe you should try being a little nicer to the guy," Jamie suggested.

Ben Grimm was the one member of the Fantastic Four that Jamie hadn't actually met. She had heard quite a bit about him from Reed, as well as some odd comments from Johnny, who, as she understood, happened to pick on his quite a bit. Reed and Sue said he was smart, loyal and strong, while Johnny would say he was, and she quoted, "Rock hard lug with anger issues."

Jamie went with the former when believing what she heard about the man.

Jamie also knew that the Fantastic Four were also in the papers and magazines quite a bit, though she often didn't read or watch the news. Only when it pertained to military and global issues, a habit she had gotten into at a young as while her father, and later brother, were deployed. So Jamie, though hearing that he looked very different, had never actually seen him before.

"From what I hear, he's nice," Jamie said. "You're the one that's hard to deal with."

"Me? I'm the Human Torch! Best superhero around!"

"I think your sister, brother-in-law, Ben and, oh, I don't know, Iron Man would disagree with you on that one," Jamie teased.

"Iron Man's got nothing on me! Old man is too well...old for this job. Just don't tell Tony I said that."

"I think a lot of people would disagree with you on that one, Johnny," Jamie informed him. "I mean, I know a lot of great soldiers that are twice as old as you and probably better in a fight."

"Yeah well they can't light up at the flick of a finger." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at the held up his hand,his fingers in the formation to snap. When he did, his fingers lit up like lighter. Jamie was just glad he didn't go all out and cause the sprinkler system to activate, like he had the week prior when showing off for a delivery woman.

Jamie rolled her eyes and turned around so her back was to him. She opened the filing cabinet and pulled out a fresh log form. _No, but I could_ , Jamie thought with a smirk. "You are impossible, Mr. Storm," she sighed, turning back around to put on the clipboard.

"Impossibly amazing." Johnny said.

Jamie just rolled her eyes and picked up the rolled newspaper and swatted him on the arm with it. "No," she laughed. "Now go away! I really do have work to do!"

"Aww but-" he whined.

"No, shoo!" Jamie scolded, swinging at him again.

"Ow! Okay okay!" Johnny whined rushing away.

Jamie just rolled her eyes, setting the paper back down on the desk. She took her seat next to Logan, who had, once again, been watching with amused eyes. Jamie sat down, signing the bottom of the log sheet she had taken off of the clip board before replacing it moments before. "You can stop looking at me like that, Logan," Jamie muttered, more focused on the paper than the guard next to her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, kid," he said.

"Sure," she muttered, spinning around in her chair to wheel over to the filing cabinet. She opened it without getting up, slipping the paper in. She turned back around and pushed herself back up to the desk. "Because that weird look you're giving me doesn't make me think something's on your mind."

Logan shrugged, his gaze still fixed on the blue eyes beauty. "You seem different," he stated, leaning back in his chair, resting his hand behind his head.

"Different how?" she asked, glancing up from her work.

"Different good," he said. "You seem happier."

 _Happier_ , Jamie thought. Well, she wasn't in captivity anymore, and she was getting used to regular life more, so yeah, perhaps she was happier. She was making friends with Johnny, though she would readily deny that in front of him in order to deny him the satisfaction and prevent his head from getting any bigger than it already was, and Steve.

Steve was making her life a lot easier. While Johnny got Jamie to laugh and lighten up, Steve was the one to really get Jamie to talk a little bit of what was bothering her. The blond man was getting her to come to terms with what happened to her, or as much as Jamie could. He knew what it was like, much more than she could ever have thought another human being, other than her fellow captive, could ever know.

He made her feel like she wasn't completely alone. And really, she knew she wasn't. She did have James around if she really needed him, but he had his own life that he was trying to sort out. He had a wife and kids that he needed to mend ties with. And if she really tried, she was sure she could get in touch with Patrick, even though he seemed to be making no effort in keeping in touch with either her or James.

Rhys, Graham and Dove wrote letters when they could, but that was very infrequent (though Jackass Shearer never wrote, his fellow soldiers did keep her updated, despite not really caring how he was). They were busy with their own military duties and missions, and Jamie didn't want to bother them when it could have very well be putting their lives at risk. She wouldn't do that to them, not again.

So her next best thing was Steve, who couldn't possibly be told the whole story. Not if she wanted to protect the secret and not have the information getting to the government. They couldn't risk them wanting to try and recreate the project. Far too many people had died while it wa going on. The risk far outweighed the benefit, and each and every one of those soldiers in captivity agreed with Jamie on that.

But what she did tell him,what she did open up about seemed to help her move along far more than she thought it could. Jamie wasn't one for opening up and admitting how she felt. Not when it made her look weak. She needed to believe she was fine in order to move along and actually get to a point where she could truthfully say she was fine.

But she was happier, so she could truthfully turn to Logan and say with a smile, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Good," he said. "I've seen too many soldiers get stuck over there. Their bodies make it back, but their minds don't."

Jamie stopped what she was doing and really looked at Logan. She had no idea he had known so many soldiers. So many soldiers that had come back different people, no less. Normally when he would bug her about things, he was just annoyed with the semi-robotic woman. She didn't actually think that, possibly, he was trying to prevent another soldier from truly being forever lost.

"I'm sorry, Logan," Jamie said.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, waving her off. "Now, finish that paperwo-"

Just as he was instructing her, the lights of the in the Baxter Building all went dark, the power completely cutting out. A couple seconds later, the dim emergency light turned off, giving the lobby an eerie red glow. The building was completely silent, the normal buzz from the light sand the computer gone.

"Great, just great," Logan muttered, getting up from his seat, a very rare occurrence.

"Did they blow the fuse again?" Jamie asked. It wasn't too uncommon for the power to go out in the building. With all of the experiments that went on with Sue and Reed, it happened at least a couple times a month.

"Beats me," he said. From the back cabinet, Logan retrieved two small battery powered walkie talkies.

Duncan Thayer walked out from his office, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance. "Did they blow that damn fuse again?" he asked with a grumble greatly resembling Logan's.

"Don't know, Sir," she answered, spinning around in her chair to face him.

"That's what I'm about to find out," Logan said, turning the walkie talkie on. "Security to Penthouse, do you copy?"

There was a moment of silence before the other line cracked and came to life. _"Penthouse to Security, this is Reed. We copy."_

"Did you blow the fuse again?" Logan asked.

 _"No, it wasn't us this time, I swear!"_ he proclaimed defensively. When the power outage was caused by the, Reed always felt guilty for having them fo fix the problem. _"It should be an easy fix though. I think its just the circuit breaker. Just have someone go and flip the circuit breaker off and on again."_

"Will do," Logan said. He turned to Jamie and tossed her the walkie talkie before turning back to the cabinet to retrieve the other. "It's your turn, kid."

Jamie sighed, pushing herself up out of her chair. _It's_ always _my turn,_ she thought. _You're just too lazy to do it._ Not that she really minded. It was something to do other than sit there until she did her sweep around the building.

"Here, Jamie" Thayer said. Jamie turned to see him offering her a flashlight, obviously having just pulled it off of the charging dock for her.

"Thank you, Sir," she answered. She turned it just to make sure it worked before starting to make her way around the desk. "I'll see you in ten!" she called over her shoulder

Baxter building was a very different looking place in the dark. What she was familiar within the light looked completely foreign to her in the dark. Though, that could be said with anything in the dark, pretty much.

The storage area was the weirdest place to be in the dark though, or so Jamie though,seeing as she hadn't been to the top floor penthouse. She was pretty sure it'd be a little weird to be there in the dark with all of those experiments and equipment around. Then again that was why the large storage room was so freaky.

The storage room was just that. It was i the back of the building on the lowest floor, separated from everything so that when things were getting moved around, going into different area to upstairs from the utility life and down again, it wouldn't disturb the rest of the people in the building. The loading docks were connected there for the same reason.

It was also the largest area of the building that the security guards had to check out, as well as the most difficult area for Jamie to be in. The large crates and machines reminded her so much of the training area at the compound she had been held in. Every corner she walked around made her think she was going to be attacked.

Jamie was just about to get to the circuit breaking i the storage room when her eye caught a flash of light in her peripherals. She stopped and turned, pulling out her gun and holding it in one hand while shining her flashlight to her right with the other. Before she had a proper look at what was going on, however, a loud bang echoed through the storage room. Jamie instantly dove to the side, hiding behind one of the large crates, but she was too slow

Whoever had shot had been aiming at Jamie, and had kicked her in the shoulder,causing her to drop her gun and flashlight. She landed on her side, luckily not on her injured left side. She sat up,pulled out her gun with her good side and managed to use her left to pick up the walkie talkie.

"Roe to security," she whispered urgently. "We have intruders in storage. They are armed and dangerous. I repeat, they are _armed_."

Jamie didn't get a chance to hear the reply over the radio for she heard several footsteps running her way. She didn't have much time to act. She didn't have anywhere to go, anything to use as a weapon, and she was already injured to begin with. The situation sure was escalating quickly.

"You said the wouldn't come for fifteen minutes!"

"That's what the old time was!"

 _They've observed_ , Jamie thought. _They're been watching the place and doing their homework. Obviously it's a little outdated though, seeing as I always respond right after the outage occurs. They've gotta be thinking of Logan. So, have they attempted this before?_

Jamie sat there, listening in on their conversation as she got up, looking above her to see if she could jump up to the top of the crate before they surrounded her. She wouldn't be able to jump up with her injured arm, and she vowed to not use her abilities ever again. She couldn't risk exposing what actually happened while in captivity. Her only hope was to disarm and fight with her fists...or fist.

The first guy came around the left of the container, and Jamie figured that out from the sound of his footsteps. She was standing against the container, ready for anything. He was holding the gun out in front of him with one hand, the flashlight in the other right above the gun, much like how she had been holding her things, and how police officers did it.

Jamie, the moment her eyes landed on which hand he held gun in, threw the walkie talkie, with accuracy, and made contact with his wrist, causing the man to drop the gun. She lunged forward, tackling him to the ground. She was down for but a moment before rolling back to her feet, putting him back up with her as a human shield in case the other person tried anything funny.

The man she held though was far too large for her to simply just hold on her own with one good arm though. Once he realized what had happened, he broke out of her hold, sending his elbow back and into Jamie's cheekbone, surly bruising it. Jamie growled, only stepping back a single step in her second of shock. She moved quickly in raising her foot and slamming it down on the back of the man's knee, breaking it.

He howled out in pain and feel to the group, holding his injured extremity. Jamie couldn't just stand there over him though, she had to keep moving. There was still the other man with the gun. If she remained there she would be right in the open to be shot at again. It was too dark to truly see how close the other man was. The time it took for Jamie to kick the guy's knee out provided the other thief with the opportunity to kick Jamie quare in the stomach.

The young woman was knocked into a large stack of metal poles, the purpose of which was not known. She landed on the floor in front of them, but her impacted jostled them enough to tip over right on top of her legs, pinning her to the group. She cried out, desperate to pull herself out from under the heavy weight.

A sweatshirt wrapped around her neck, strangling her. Jamie let out a strangled gasp, not getting any air whatsoever. Her hands instantly went to the thing around her neck to try and pull if off so she could breath, but it was useless, the sweatshirt was wrapped around the guys forearms, and with the position they were in, Jamie couldn't possibly twist around to get out.

Jamie gasped again, but nothing entered her lungs. She was going to get strangled to death. She was going to come back home from that hellhole in Qatar to die in a security job in a break-in.

Jamie wasn't going to let that happen. She managed to reach up and back to the guy's face, her fingers finding the indent where his eye socket was. Jack gagged as the man pulled the clothing tighter, trying to prevent her from getting to him, but it was no use. Jamie had already gotten hold of the area and used her nails to drag down the front of his face. She could feel the hot blood covering her fingers as the man stumbled back with a cry.

"Police! Drop your weapons!"

The only thing Jamie could do at that point was cough and take in as much air as she possibly could. The Police secured the two intruders, while Reed went to the breaker to flip the switch to turn the power back on. Johnny ran up to Jamie to help her, seeing as nobody else was.

"Holy shit, Jamie!" Johnny exclaimed, kneeling beside her to lift the metal off her. Once she was unpinned, Jamie pulled herself out and laid on the ground, still desperately trying to catch her breath. "You okay?" he asked, checking her over and not checking her out for once.

Jamie waved him off with a wave from her good arm. Honestly, she would be okay. She just needed to clean her wound and get a sling for it. Some ice on her bruises would help a great deal, but that was honestly all she really needed medical wise.

"So, uh," Johnny said, sitting down next to her. "I think you earned a promotion."

Jamie laughed, which caused pain in every part of her. "Ow."

* * *

All Jamie wanted to do after work that night was to hit the sack. She didn't want food. She didn't want to shower. She didn't even want to take off her shoes. The brunette simply wanted to plop down, face down or otherwise, and just close her eyes to pass out into a dreamless sleep. Falling asleep wouldn't be the problem, she knew. It was stay asleep and hoping for a dreamless slumber.

A girl could dream.

Jamie opened the door, carelessly tossing her keys into the little dish on the table next to the door. Her now free hand moved to her other arm, cradling it gently, in hope that in doing so, the discomfort admitting from her injury which radiated shockwaves up her arm and into her shoulder and neck would lesson.

Jamie sighed, rolling her neck as she kicked off her shoes, leaving them next to the door. She took several steps into the hallway, using her foot to push her door shut. She figured she probably should make herself something to eat before going to bed, despite having the complete lack of motivation to do anything other than crawl into her warm comforter.

She turned her head, eyes falling upon the light admitting form the living room. She stopped, eyes narrowing. She could had sworn she turned everything off before leaving the apartment that morning. Jamie specifically remember stubbing her toe against the coffee table turning off the lamb on the side table next to the armchair. So why were the lights on.

A pale hand reached to the gun at her hip, upholstering it. She slowly made her way around the corner, checking to make sure nobody was there to jump at her or overtake her. She was at a disadvantage, after all. However, she quickly sighed, seeing who exactly had broken into her apartment.

"I see you've had a long day at work."

Agent Coulson was sitting in the armchair across from the couch, a glass of water sitting on one of her coasters on the coffee table in front of him. He looked tense, with black bags under his eyes. Jamie had never seen the man look so overworked, which lead her to believe something was very wrong. And if something was wrong in his business that definitely didn't mean anything good for the public.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Jamie stated, slowly making her way around the couch. She plopped down, gun still in hand. "I always expected to find you in the apartment one day. What do I owe this surprise visit to, Agent Coulson?"

"We need your help," Coulson admitted.

"My help?" Jamie asked in disbelief, shaking her head. She didn't understand exactly why they needed her help. For all they knew, she was just a soldier, and _their_ agents were specially trained. She had been discharged long before. She was out of practice (or so they thought) and was just a simple soldier. Why being a wild card into the playing field? "I'm a middling," the girl said, "so I don't see how I could possibly be of any help to a giant government agency."

"That's a lie," Coulson told her, leaning forward. His elbows took a place on his knees, supporting his weight as he moved closer to the girl. "And you and I both know it, Private."

Jamie shook her head, gainsay what he said. "No, I'm just a security guard, Agent Coulson. There's nothing special about that, now is there?"

"Something's about to happen and we need all the help we can get here, Private. Now, you know what happened while you were in captivity. _You_ know what you can do. _We_ know what you can do."

"That sounded extemporized," Jamie muttered, holstering her gun.

"Amir told us, though we threatened to deport him and his family, so you shouldn't be angry with him," Coulson stated. "The experiments. The ability to control energy."

Jamie gulped, but did her best to keep her expression the same. She was found out. There was no going back to normal. She had tried that already and the whole time they already knew her secret. "You must really be desperate to come to me. I mean, you've been trying to get me to come clean for what? Three months? A very large, very important factor had to have changed the rules of the game for you to come here to openly admit that you already knew what happened."

"You're right," he said. "We're desperate."

"That's something you never want a powerful agency to say," the woman laughed humorlessly. "What do you want me to do exactly?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you," Coulson informed her. "Director Fury wants to tell you that himself."

"Huh, the Director?" Jamie sat back, her back extremely sore. "I should feel special, shouldn't I?" She didn't feel special whatsoever. All she felt was that something was off. Why couldn't they tell her what she was going to be doing? Why were they in such a hurry? What had SHIELD so scared?

"We need to leave as soon as possible," Coulson said. The man stood up, taking the small backpack that had been resting on the floor beside his feet. "I already packed you a to-go bag. Hygiene products included. We'll have a uniform provided for you upon arrival."

Jamie stood up as well, not needing anything else other than her shoes and her keys. "I don't know if I should be thankful or creeped out that you packed my underwear, Agent. Shouldn't you at least buy me dinner first?"

The two made their way to the door. Jamie grabbed her keys from the dish and slipped her shoes back on. Coulson held the door open for her as he said, "Would cafeteria food count?"

Jamie let a chuckle escaped, her blue eyes rolled. "Is it any good?" she asked, locking the door once both individuals were in the hallway.

"No," Coulson stated.

"Then no, it doesn't count," she said. The two made their way to the stairs. Coulson knew Jamie always took the stairs, having a fear of the claustrophobic elevator due to her time in captivity. "How long am I going to be expected to be gone?"

"I packed a week's worth of supplies," he said. "Though I'm not certain about the duration of your stay."

"And you knew I'd say yes?" she asked offhandedly.

"I was instructed to bring you in, compliant or otherwise" he stated.

"Well, that's reassuring," the girl muttered.

Once outside in the night air, Coulson lead the girl to the black SUV around the corner. He opened the back seat for her, allowing her to get in. She went to move over, but Coulson made no move to get in, confusing the brunette. She tilted her head subconsciously at the man, silently asking him why he wasn't getting in.

"Agent Bedig will escort you to your transportation," he informed her. He handed over the bag to the girl. She set it on the seat next to her as she listened intently to what Phil went on to say. "I've still got some work to do."

She had no inclination as to what Coulson still had to do, but it unsettled her. Was it dangerous? Was it incredibly important to the mission at hand? Would he be okay? Coulson, though a general annoyance to Jamie, had gotten comfortable with the man and didn't want anything bad to happen to him. He was a good guy, even if he happened to break into her apartment and did who knew what else.

In short, she would have felt much more comfortable having Coulson with her, instead of getting dumped with an agent she was unfamiliar with.

"But we'll still end up at the same place, right?" she asked, putting her hand out to stop Coulson from shutting the door.

Coulson gave the younger girl a small smile and a nod. "Yes," he said. "I'll see you soon, Private Roe."

Jamie let out a break she hadn't known she was holding. "I'm holding you to that, Agent Coulson."

* * *

 **So there we have it, the unexpected start of The Avengers, so I hope you're all excited for that. I know I am, that's for sure. Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, I've had this one planned out in my head forever so I'm happy it's finally out on paper (internet?) and posted. I forced myself to sit down for three hours (my 3 hr photography class got canceled - it's only the second week for Pete's sake!) and just hammer the rest of it out.** **Let me know what you guys thought and review!**

Thanks for to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- I hate school, which is ironic because I'm going to be a teacher so….I love teaching, but I hate attending, if that makes sense. Doesn't help that the majority of my classes are 3 hours long. Anyway, enough about that. I'm glad you liked the was the only part I kind of dreaded writing. Fighting scenes in general, really. And Coulson is very Coulson, That's why we all love him so much! I'm glad you found it cute. I know their conversations go from light to heavy to light again, and sometimes that's okay, but I fear there is too much of it sometimes. Oh well. Oh, and don't worry, Johnny's not going to just disappear, and Steve obviously isn't either,so they're bound to run into each other at some point. And there will be quite a few times where you'll see that side of Steve. Have things planned. Many things planned.

 _ **Guest** _ \- I'm so happy you loved it! And yes, I love having Steve and Coulson i it. And don't you worry, I'll "keep up with all the things." lol..

 _ **ToFallUponTheNight** _ \- I didn't really plan on updating so quickly either. I like to give it a little time to get some reviews first, but I was so excited that I just did it. But I totally get you on the whole "Fall in love with an inactive story" thing….I'll admit, I'm a little guilty on that. I have a stories on my page that are like that, but hey! I'm stuck, I can't help it! But I'm glad you liked the chapter, and classes were good, but the weekend was filled with homework. Uh! No thank you!

 ** _Trisscar95_ ** \- I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for the review and I hope to hear from you again.

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- I'm glad the chapter put a smile to you face. Steve is a protective fellow, isn't he? It' absolutely adorable. Hope you liked this chapter as much as the last.

 _ **shika93** _ \- I know, I agree with you. Hope you liked the chapter!


	10. Agreement

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, or Marvel. Just Jamie and Amir.**

* * *

Chapter 10  
Agreement

Jamie took a moment, slowly turning around on her heels to examine her environment. She rubbernecked in completely amazement. She was slack jawed. She had been in the military for six years, but never had she been on one of their ships, let alone one that looked like SHIELD's helicarrier.

Once out of her transport craft, she stood outside on the large tarmac, watching workers running around doing whatever their task at hand was. Everybody but Bedig ignored her, going about their business.

Bedig let the girl look around for a couple moments, letting everything sink in before he went up next to her and instructed her that the Director wanted to see her right away. Jamie agreed compliantly, though she didn't see any other option, seeing as she was now out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on _their_ craft. She could always fly away, but that was far too much exposure and far too much of a distance.

Once inside, Jamie was instructed to take a seat at the large conference table in a meeting room out of the way of everything else. Several individuals were packing up as she entered with Bedig. She felt as if she needed to wait for them to be done, but the agent insisted that she sit down and wait. She was logy, so the chair she chose noisily scrooped against the metal floor, causing her and several other individuals to cringe at the sound. She quickly sat down, unwilling to move the chair any further in fear of making the unpleasant sound again.

The agents that had been attending what she guessed was a meeting files out one by one, while Bedig stood at the door to keep watch for the Director, and to prevent Jamie was trying to leave. Not that she would, she didn't know her way around the place at all. She'd get lost thirty seconds after leaving, that was for sure.

Not too long after Jamie was instructed to sit, Bedig exited the room and in walked a tall African American male holding a file in one hand. He wasn't dressed like the rest of the individuals on the craft. He wore a long black leather jacket, as well as a black shirt and pants. The oddest part of the man was the fact that he wore an eyepatch over one eye. He moved quickly and with a sense of purpose and authority that Jamie could never even dream of obtaining.

"Private Roe," the Directed greeted, standing across the table from him.

"Director," Jamie uttered back. "I believe at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don't know your's."

"Fury," he stated simply.

 _Is that supposed to be his name, or is he just telling me how he feels?_ she asked herself, sitting back in her chair, crossing her legs. He sat down at the seat he had been standing behind and leaned forward, his hands clasping in front of him, resting on the table.

"You have created quite a lot of trouble for us, Private Roe," Fury stated. "You forced our hand into threatening Dr. Assaf. We didn't want to do that."

"Well, perhaps you shouldn't have done it despite that little fact," Jamie stated.

Fury just look at her with that single eye of his, his presence weighing down on her as if he were the POTUS, or Dr. Hull. With that single look, Jamie knew she should watch her tongue around the Director. He was the head of SHIELD, after all. She didn't even know what that could entail.

In order to stop the look, Jamie turned her head and spoke up once more, changing the subject. "Why is it that I'm here, Sir?" she asked.

"Simple," he stated. "We need your help."

"From what?" she asked. "Agent Coulson wouldn't discuss it with me, but he did seem a little freaked out, which is weird, even for him."

"A very dangerous item was stolen from us," he stated, sliding the file across the table to her.

Jamie took the file and opened it. The very front page of the file was designated to a small cubed item, glowing a soft blue, much like how she did when she was using her abilities. "The Tesseract," Jamie read. "And what was it you were doing with it, Sir?"

"We were trying to use it as a source of clean, sustainable energy," he answered.

 _Yeah, like that's all_ , she thought. She had to fight an eye roll with that. "Let me guess," she scoffed. "The person who took it from you wants to use it as a weapon, not as a "clean, sustainable energy" source."

"You're not our first choice," he said, leaning back in his chair. "We have several other options before we use you, but one of our men was taken when the Tesseract was stolen. He was our best marksman. You don't quite stand up to his standards, but I've looked over your record. It's impressive. We want you to stand in for him as our sniper."

"That I can do, Sir," Jamie said.

"Good to here, Private," he said.

"What are the other options though, Sir?" she asked. "If I'm to know when I'm needed, I should know what they are. To prepare if the time comes."

Fury leaned forward again, his good eye almost staring through her blue eyes female."What I am about to disclose to you is strictly confidential and only privy to a select few."

"It stays between us, Sir," Jamie assured him. She wasn't in the military any more, but she was working for this man, and as far as she was concerned, that meant she was to listen to whatever the hell he wanted her to do. Didn't mean she had to like it. Didn't mean she completely had to agree with it. As long as it wasn't against any laws or rules, she would follow her commands like the good soldier she would always be at heart.

"We have individuals selected for a team," Fury said. "These individuals have unique talents, much like yourself. If the time comes, we are going to call on them to fight for us. It's called the Avengers initiative."

"You make them sound like _superheroes_ or something," she scoffed.

"Some believe them to be," he said. "Perhaps that's exactly what we need to believe in."

"Are you sure you're not putting too much credence into this idea? I mean, _Avengers_? _Superheroes_? Isn't that a little farfetched in and of itself, even in this line of work? You sound averred in the impossible."

"Maybe the impossible is exactly what we want them to do," Fury said. "To do what we _can't_."

"Are you admitting that you and your agency _can't_ do something, Director Fury," Jamie pressed, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Don't push it, Private."

"But tell me this first; why would you need to pressure me into being a sniper?" she asked. "It's what I was trained for to begin with, and it doesn't quite add up that you would reveal all your card on me if it was just that."

"To be quite frank with you, Private, that's not the only reason we want you here," Fury said. "If anything goes wrong with the Tesseract, we want you to be our contingency plan."

"Contingency plan?" she asked. The sound of that certainly made her stomach drop to what felt like the bottom of the ocean floor below them. "How could I possibly be the contingency?"

"Dr. Assaf has stated that, in theory, you can absorb other sources of energy," Fury said. "You can retain it. If the cube somehow gets so far out of control, you could absorb it. Prevent any unnecessary danger."

"Yes, in theory," Jamie pressed, her eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "It's never actually been tested before. I mean, I know for a fact that I can't take in electricity, or anything like that. They're completely different. Why would the Tesseract be any different?"

"In WWII a man by the name of Arnim Zola under the command of Johann Shmidt was able to use it to create weapons. We currently have a hold of several of those weapons with the energy still inside. We want to test out our theory."

"You want to see if I can actually do it," she stated, sitting back with a huff. "You want to know if it's possible for me to support that kind of energy. And if I do? What would you want me to do with that energy, Director Fury? Are you going to lock me up in some machine and harvest that sustainable energy, _hm_? Put me away for being too powerful?"

"You're putting words in my mouth, Private Roe, and I don't like it," he stated.

"And I don't like that I'm getting used," she said. "We don't know what this'll do to me. For all we know, I could die. The energy source could be vastly different than what's inside me. It could poison me. Those little toys you want to test with me could kill me right on the spot. What good would it be if I drop dead before the contingency is even needed?"

"You have a point," he pointed out.

"I tend to every once in a while," she muttered.

"The real question is if you'd be willing to put yourself in that position if the time comes. Would you sacrifice yourself if it could stop everything?" Fury asked.

"You want me to basically commit suicide?" she asked. "Willingly go in there with the knowledge I could die?"

"You did that everyday while you were in the military, didn't you?" Fury pointed out.

 _He's got a point_ , she thought. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it," she said. "From the sound of it, a lot of people could die because of _your_ actions. I won't willing let people die if I can possibly stop it. I just wasn't aware you were so willing to let people die, is all."

"There's a lot you don't know about what we do, Private," he said. "And for most, it's better that they don't. It protects them. Saves the world from panic."

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me too, Director," Jamie said. She reached into the collar of her blouse, pulling out the chain with her dog tags, as well as what appeared to be a small silver flash drive. "Since everything is already out in the open," started to say, "you may as well have the rest of what I have. Everything you want to know, except the chemical formula and the amount of gamma radiation I was exposed to is on this drive." She unhooked it from the chain and slid it across the table, just as he had done with the file.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Private," Fury said, standing up. "We'll require you to still run some tests for us, but we will remove the Hydra weapons testing, in regards to what you pointed out here."

"Yes, Sir," Jamie said, standing up as well.

"While we prep for the tests, Agent Bedig will show you to the medical bay to get checked over. I hear you had quite an eventful day at work," he said.

"I've had better days," she said. "I've also had worse, Sir."

"We'll retrieve you when we require your presence. Until then, you are free to stay in your quarters, the medical bay, or in the mess hall."

"Yes, Sir," Jamie said, walking with him to the door. "I have one last question though, Sir."

"And what would that be, Private?"

"What If I can't stop it? What would you do then?"

Fury gave her a look that said far more than she knew he had intended to give her. Fury was worried about it. And having the Director of SHIELD worried didn't sit well with Jamie whatsoever. If the man with all the secrets of the world didn't know what to do, who possibly could?

"Let's hope we don't have to find out."

* * *

"Agent Bedig, I assure you I don't need medical treatment," Jamie pressed, following right behind the young agent. "I was already checked out by paramedics on scene at the Baxter building.

"Director's orders, Ma'am," Bedig said. "And frankly, I don't care what you think you need or don't need. Whatever the Director wants, the Director gets."

 _Someone's a kiss ass,_ Jamie thought bitterly. Bedig had already showed Jamie her quarters, as well as where the mess hall was, where they had a pot of coffee always on, hot and ready for anybody in need of it. And seeing how most of the agents on the helicarrier looked, they went through quite a few cups a coffee each and hour. _Working for SHIELD can't be good for one's health._

"Here we are, Ma'am," Bedig stated, referring to the sliding glass doors before them.

They opened automatically as Jamie reluctantly walked inside the very large medical bay. There were several nurses and doctors over at a single table seated as they conversed with one another, while a few were scattered around the room here and there. Things seemed extremely quiet, as they probably normally were. Jamie didn't think they would have much commotion unless something was wrong.

"Jamie?"

Jamie froze in her observation of the facility when the individual said her name. The voice sounded so out of place. It was soft and comforting, though not comforting as Jamie thought about where they were and how out of place the owner of it truly was.

The brunette turned around, her blue eyes meeting deep brown, almost black eyes. His dark skin was paler, though not sickly pale, Just from lack of people out in the intense sun of the Middle East. he still had no hair on top of his head, and nor was there any facial hair. He seemed to be slightly more rounded, an indication that he had been eating more regularly and better than previously. A small smile graced his lips kindly.

"Amir," she stated.

"Hello Child," he greeted, slowly moving towards her. He used caution, obviously unsure of how she would react after finding out he had informed SHIELD of what truly happened in captivity, something they had all agreed _not_ to do. "Come, let me patch you up, Child. You seem to have been through quite a bit recently."

Jamie didn't say anything as she followed Amir into the back of the medical bay to a bed right next to a desk. She sat down on the bed, her eyes never leaving Amir as he pulled out cleaning supplies for her wounded shoulder and gauze. He motioned for her to remove her shoulder as he pulled the curtain of their section closed to give them more privacy as he worked.

"I should be very angry with you," Jamie stated.

"You have every right to be," he said. "And I would not blame you one bit."

"I said _should_ ," she repeated. "I didn't say I was. Considering the circumstances, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. You have a family to think about, and they were going to deport you if you didn't come clean, Amir. I don't blame you one bit for protecting them."

"But we would not be here at all if it were not for you," he said.

"And I wouldn't if you hadn't kept me alive back in Qatar," Jamie said. "So I think we're even."

"Then my betrayal if far worse!" he went on.

"You didn't betray me, Amir. You didn't betray any of us," she said. "Don't put all of that blame on yourself."

"You really don't blame me?" he asked slowly.

"No, I blame SHIELD. They're dicks," she said.

Amir laughed with a nod. "That they are, Child," he agreed. "That they are. Now, let us get you all fixed up, shall we?"

* * *

 **There we have it. Jamie's been propositioned and she's accepted! Amir's working for SHIELD because Jamie's there and because of the whole Contingency thing. I hope you guys like the way this went. I was a little unsure of how the take would be. Anyway, let me know what you think! I look forward to what you have to say in reviews!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews in the previous chapter(s):

 _ **OctoberOpal** _ \- Coulson is very fun to right, actually. He's a total geek, but total professional as well, which makes him a contradiction and a riot to portray. Now you know a little more on how Jamie's going to play into the whole scheme of things. Hope you liked that chapter and thank you for your review!

 _ **ToFallUponTheNight** _ \- I know! I thought the eyes was a rather realistic and effective thing to do in a situation like that, don't you think? I try to make things as realistic as I can to make up for the unbelievable things that go on in the Marvel Universe. Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Lol, I know. Coulson get's everybody excited and then depressed and then happy again. I'm the same way. You gotta love the guy. And yes, Steve will be in the next chapter, so I think you'll be very happy to see him again. I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one as well.

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- Compelling? That's another new one for me! I'm also glad you liked the fighting scene. I'm always so hesitant and nervous about my fight scenes. It was a little short, but oh well. Steve will be in the next chapter, so you'll be able to see his reaction then. This chapter gives you a little incited and stuff to think about about for the coming events of the Avengers. I'm excited to here what you think and what your take on it is.

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- Thank you! I'm glad you like how's she's pulled in. You got to see the proposition in this one. Hope you liked it. Cap will be in the next chapter, promise!


	11. Familiarity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers or the Fantastic 4. I only own Jamie, her fellow Soldiers and Amir.**

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Chapter 11  
Familiarity

Jamie had spent the majority of her time while on the Helicarrier either in the gym or with Amir in the medical bay. They spent a good amount of the time catching up, and though Jamie was still rather pissed that he told SHIELD what actually happened while they were in Qatar, she still owed everything to Amir, and she genuinely cared for the man. Plus, it wasn't all his fault. If she had been threatened to be deported her family back to the place where their life all fell apart, she would have come clean too.

It was around noon when she decided to head to the mess hall to go grab her and Amir some coffee. It took a good deal of navigating to finally find the location. She wasn't used to military or government vessels. She was a Marine, but she hadn't ever been stationed on a ship before. That was left for the Navy.

After grabbing two large cups from the mess hall, with those neat little tops covering the cup with the little holes to drink out of (she absolutely loved those), she turned and made her way back to the med bay, or tried to, at least. Jamie was so distracted looking up at the ceiling and the walls reading the directions that she didn't pay attention to where she was actually walking, leading her straight into another body.

Coffee coated the young woman, brown stains soaking into the simple navy blue tank top she wore after Amir had check on her arm. "I am so sorry," Jamie apologized, bending down to pick up the now empty cups from the floor.

"No, it's my fault, Ma'am. I should hav-...Jamie?"

Jamie, upon hearing her name, looking up from the floor, her eyes meeting with brilliant blues. "Steve?" she asked, standing up slowly, tilting her head to the side in confusion like a puppy dog.

"I-I, what are you doing here? How did you-?" Steve said a million thoughts seeping out at once. "Oh, I got coffee on you-...why...why are you bruised? How did you get bruis...I..uh...hi?" he finally settled on.

Jamie knew she had to look like quite a sight. She was dressed in the black uniform cargo pants and a deep navy blue tank top from when Amir had been checking over her shoulder wound. The little amount of fabric covering her shoulders allowed for everybody to see the newly placed bandages on her wound, which was no longer bleeding through the white material for the time being. Her neck was decorated with black and blue from the strangulation from the previous day, and one of her cheeks had black and blue dusted over the skin from the elbow to the face.

Despite her shock and confusion, Jamie laughed at Steve's very apparent shock and awkwardness. "Hi to you too," she laughed, shaking her head. "The, uh, bruises are from my security job," she admitted. "There was a break in. Nothing I couldn't handle, but you know, bruises and small injuries are always thrown into the mix." She shrugged, trying to hide the wince from the pain shooting through her arm. "So, uh, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I uh, work here." Steve said as he frowned deeper and reached around to place a hand on her back, to lead her to the kitchen where she had gotten the coffee so he can get her something to clean up with.

"You work for _SHIELD_?" Jamie asked.

That just gave her more questions. Was he placed there to get closer to her? Were they that low to try and find out what happened in Qatar that they would try and gain her trust from an undercover operative? Or was it all simply a coincidence? Then again, Steve was just so sweet. She could tell he wasn't very good at lying, so she couldn't really see him being an undercover operative. Though maybe that was the point. But thinking back, he always did avoid her questions. He never truly lied to her. He just did the exact same thing she did.

"Yeah, ever since I...came back," the Captain said softly as he walked over to the sink and wet a cloth for her to dab at her shirt and skin with and a dry one. "I kinda owe them since I wouldn't be here without them so I joined up to finish out my active duty."

"I," Jamie stated to say, "I can understand that."

"So, when did you start working for SHIELD?" Steve asked. "Never would have thought your security job was here."

"It, uh, isn't," Jamie admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "Thanks," she said. "I work for the Baxter Building, not SHIELD."

"Well...then how did you end up here?" he asked her with a raised blond eyebrow as he handed her the towels.

"It's kind of a _temporary_ agreement between us," she said. "They asked for my help on something and when it's done, I'm out of here. I'm filling in for their best shot. I was a sniper."

"Oh um, that makes sense. So they didn't kidnap you, right?" he asked pointing worriedly to the bruises.

"Well," Jamie muttered. "They had permission to bring me in, compliant or otherwise, but lucky for everyone I agreed." She placed the towel back onto the counter and moved to grab another two cups of coffee. "So, why exactly are you here though? I mean, you don't usually come in, right? I see you quite a bit at the gym, so there's no way that you make this haul every day."

"Are you sure you're okay to be working though? I mean, you kind of look a little rough around the edges," Steve said worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be find, I assure you," she laughed. "But it's sweet that you worry."

"So I got called in too," Steve said looking down. "I'm kinda high up there so something big has to be going down for me to come in," he muttered rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"I see," Jamie said. "High up there, huh? I guess I should stay on your good side then; get connections and whatnot. You could come in handy," she teased.

"Yeah, that's really what SHIELD thinks at least." he said half joking half not as he helped her gather up the rags.

"I can honestly say that I'm thankful you're here," Jamie admitted. "It's nice to have a friendly, familiar face around."

"You know what? I completely agree." Steve smiled at her.

"So, where were you headed when I literally ran into you?" Jamie asked, finishing putting the sugar in Amir's coffee, just as he had asked. She left her cup black. She had learned many thing and obtained many habits while being a Marine. To always drink coffee black, and to never mess with a Marine's coffee if you wanted to live.

"Just my room," Steve shrugged a bit. "I can walk you to your destination," he said polite as ever. Seriously? How was this guy dangerous?

Jamie smirked. "You're too good for your known good, you know that?" she stated, sipping her coffee. "You really don't have to. I'm sure I can find the med bay again without getting lost _too_ much."

"I don't mind, I was just going to stare at the wall for a few hours." Steve sighed. "I had to escape Agent Coulson,"he grumbled glaring over his shoulder.

"You know Phil?" Jamie asked. "Agent Phil Coulson?" she asked, leading him out of the mess hall.

"Yeah, ever since I came back, and heck he's known about me since before that." Steve sighed. "That's kinda the problem. I like him, really. He's a good man and very kind. But he really likes bringing up some stuff I'd rather forget, though it's not malicious it his curiosity that kind of irks me."

"I can kind of understand that," Jamie said. "I had weekly meetings with him that I purposefully scheduled with other things just so I wouldn't have to answer his questions," she said. "He's a good guy, and he's just doing his job. But like I said before, some things are better left in the dark. Though it turns out they already knew what happened and just wanted me to back it up." That last part was rather grumbled in complete irritation.

"They know everything, trust me." Steve grumbled to her. "...so..what happened? You don't have to tell me, it just sounds like you need someone to vent too."

Jamie sighed. She really didn't want to say, but then again, Steve did say he was high up, and he was bound to hear about at least some of her story from high ups. What could it hurt to tell him part of it? Maybe she'd feel better if she did.

"A year and a half ago my platoon was captured," she admitted. "We were tortured, experimented on. And in the end, only three of us ended up getting out alive, along with four Royal Marines and three civilians."

"Cap...Captured and experimented on?" Steve asked and from the green look on his face showed that it kinda hit home for him. Maybe had some past experience with that. Jamie wasn't quite sure if it was him or on anybody else though. She wasn't even sure if she was imagining things. "How did you get out? Are you alright now?" he asked in worry taking her hand in a friendly gesture.

"One of the civilians, a Dr. Amir Assaf, who actually works here now, and I came up with a plan to get us all out. You see, his wife and daughter were being held hostage as incentive for him to work for them. He kept us alive, and he's the one that actually taught me how to speak Arabic," Jamie went on to explain. "He helped me figure out the layout of the facility and the guard shifts, and I coordinated and came up with the rest of the escape plan." Jamie turned around a hallway and up a flight of stairs, recalling that she nearly missed that staircase on the way down to get the coffee. "And as for my health, I've actually never been healthier,"

"Well, I am glad to hear that, at least. My best friend, well my first mission as Captain was...okay it wasn't an _official_ mission, I kind of went loose canon and went to rescue my Bucky and other soldiers after they were captured by the enemy. I totally get it," he said.

"Really? My, Captain, I have a hard time seeing you breaking rules," Jamie laughed. "Though, your heart if bigger than your brain, I suppose, so I do kind of see that."

"I get that a lot." Steve said rubbing the back of his neck. "I felt I wasn't being utilized properly and decided to show them how I can be better used."

"I don't like that you say being used like you're some replaceable object," Jamie said. "You're far more than that, Steve."

"I wasn't replaceable, more like a monkey on a unicycle," Steve said looking to the ground.

"Well, that's an amusing mental image," she laughed.

"Try being the monkey," Steve scoffed at her.

"Kind of already have," she said. "Maybe a little more like a lab rat though."

"I've been that too," Steve said shrugging. "I was experimented on myself, though I volunteered, hoping to make a difference."

 _I'm just glad he wasn't forced to go through it all though_ , Jamie thought. _Nobody deserves that. None of us did._ "So, does this mean you're going to tell me what happened to you now, or am I still to low ranked for that?" Jamie asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Steve bit his lip and looked at her he looked away before closing his eyes."I...I'm Captain America," he said finding no other way to put it.

 _Captain America? Like the comic book character?_ The comic book character her brother idolized when they were younger? Jamie found that hard to believe. _Captain America a.k.a. Steve- Holy crap,_ Jamie thought. _Steven Rogers. Captain Steven Rogers was Captain America. Steve Rogers. Captain Rogers._

"Oh my God," she muttered, looking at him with wide eyes. " _Holy shit_! You-you're, _oh my God._ I shouldn't have swore, I'm sorry!"

"Please don't be mad I didn't say anything!" He begged her looking at her with big blue eyes, looking so much more like a kicked puppy than a war hero. "I was just so happy that someone wasn't freaking out," he said and looked at her pleadingly. Though he did flinch at her swear he didn't say anything, letting it slide due to the rather shocking news he had given her. Peggy muttered a few swear words herself back in the day...

"Mad? Steve, why would I be mad?" Jamie asked. "Yes, you're, _my God_ , you're Captain _freakin_ -America, but you're still you. So what? My brother idolized you and you had comics written about you. And you practically won us World War II, but again, you're still a person. You're obligated to feel like a human being; to have a life. And I'm rambling and making a fool out of myself because I've read the comics and I'm geeking out. I am so sorry. You're telling me you just wanted to be normal and I'm doing the exact opposite and I'm just going to shut up now."

"It's okay, Jamie, I don't really mind. In a way it kind of saves me time in telling you my back story," Steve tried to make her feel better. He was the scared and worried one here and he was to comfort her. "Well, because of that. I'm really not all that. I'm still a scrawny kid from Brooklyn, I don't feel like a hero, or heaven forbid a comic book character. I _never stopped_ feeling like a scrawny guy. So I act like one and people get disappointed and-" he started rambling now, mostly to himself. "I'm...I'm trying to fill my own shoes. And I'm failing horribly."

"Disappointed?" Jamie scoffed. "Oh honey, then they're not worth your time to begin with. If they can't accept you for who you are, you shouldn't give them the time of day. You're time and effort is worth far more than that." Jamie turned even more to look him straight on. "You shouldn't feel like you have to step up to the plate for the expectation others have. You're you, and that's all you can be. That's all that _should_ be expected of you. And who _isn't_ trying to fill their own shoes? Take me for example," she said.

"My whole life all I've ever wanted to do was join the military. I wanted to be a Marine just like my Dad, my brother, my Grandfather and so on. I wanted to fight, to make a difference like them. And that's what I did. And then while doing what I've always wanted to do, I was taken advantage of and manipulated. I couldn't do the _only thing_ I ever wanted to do. And then, when I'm finally free and I can do what it is I've always wanted to do again, it's ripped away from me. They tell me they won't allow me to go back into the field. That I wasn't even qualified for _desk duty._ I was shipped back home, to a place I hadn't been back to in almost _two years_ and expected to fit back into a society that I knew nothing about. What was I supposed to do? I _still_ don't know what I'm supposed to do, you know?

"I mean, I can't be a cop if I can't be in the military anymore. They wouldn't allow it, I checked. The only thing I could do was guard a bunch of boxes in the storage garage of a science building. What difference does that make in the world? People _expect_ me to go out, have fun, make friends, get a boyfriend, get married? How can I do that when I can barely walk down the street without freaking out and checking for snipers on every rooftop?" Jamie sighed. "And I'm rambling again, so I'm just going to shut up and drink my coffee."

"I-I...thanks," Steve said appreciatively. "I think it would be best if our mouths take a break for a bit." He chuckled. "But before that, I think you make a difference. At least to me and a few others, just by being our friend."

Jamie glanced up at Steve, the smallest of smiles gracing her lips. "Thanks," she muttered. "I appreciate that, Steve, far more than I can admit." She looked up, noticing that they were now outside the med bay. "Would you like to come in? Meet Amir? It's kind of quiet in there. Most of the staff aren't around unless there's an emergency."

"Sure, anything is better than staring at the wall," Steve chuckled.

Jamie chuckled and entered through the automatic door. Jamie found Amir sitting behind a desk next to one of the hospital beds. She placed the cup of coffee next to him, before plopping down on the bed, pulling her legs under her as she sipped on her coffee. She patted the bed next to her, offering the open space up for Steve to take if he so desired.

"You took quite a while," Amir muttered, without looking up from the file in front of him.

"That was my fault." Steve chimed in.

That got Amir's attention. He raised his head, turning in the direction of Steve's voice. When his eyes landed on the blond man, he smiled softly, welcomingly. "Well, hello," he greeted. "I was not aware we were going to have visitors!"

"Well it was kind of unexpected," Steve said and offered a hand to the man. "Captain Steve Rogers."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Amir said. "Are you a friend of Jamie's?"

"Yes Sir, Ran into her a few times and got acquainted with her." Steve said as he stepped back after they shook hands. "She's a quick witted young lady."

"You do not know the half of it," Amir said. "Though, she is stubborn beyond belief, which is not always a good thing."

"That I did know actually." Steve chuckled. "I've known many stubborn women in my life, I might just prefer them that way."

"Hmm, interesting," Amir muttered, smirking at the two. "Does this mean you are interested in my friend?" he teased.

"Amir!" Jamie scolded.

"Interested?" Steve asked innocently, obviously not getting it. "Well I suppose. I find I enjoy spending time with her, I find her very interesting."

Jami groaned, putting her head in her hands. "Amir, you can't just go around asking people that. It's _rude_."

"How is it rude? Seemed normal to me," Steve asked with a simple shrug.

Jamie, not wanting Steve to hear or understand, switched to Arabic, despite the fact that it was rather rude. "He doesn't need you to pressure him. Plus, he's heartbroken at the moment. He cannot be with the woman he loves," she said in foreign tongue.

"What? What are you guys saying?" Steve asked looking rather out of place and awkward.

"Oh, the lovely lady was just scolding me on my actions," Amir answered. "She believed I was implying you had a romantic interest in her."

" _Amir_!" Jamie whined again.

"O-Oh," Steve blushed darkly. "I-It's no trouble. I suppose that if a man and woman spend t-time together it would c-come up sooner or l-later." he stuttered, having no dating history at all.

"And this is the awkwardness I was trying to avoid," Jamie muttered. "I'm sorry, Steve. Amir's not the most familiar with our culture."

"It's fine, I understand," Steve murmured rubbing the back of his neck. "I-I'm not good with romance stuff to begin with."

"You and me both," the girl muttered. "Remember, I told you my last boyfriend dumped me after cheating with several others?"

"I still think I need to have a discussion with him," Steve said crossing his arms.

"You're more than welcome to do so, if you can find him. He moved sometime after we broke up," Jamie said. "But it really isn't necessary."

"I do work for SHIELD." Steve chuckled a bit. "...But I don't know how to work a computer very well."

Jamie smirked. "Yeah, that is an extremely different and new piece of equipment, isn't it?" She couldn't even imagine what it was like to be shoved something and be expected to learn how to use it like that It was decades worth of tech sitting before him, after all.

"What's YouTube?" Steve asked her with a furrowed eyebrows, hands now deep in his pockets.

"YouTube?" Jamie asked. "It's a video site. People watch all different kinds of videos people take. I can always show you around the site sometime, if you'd like."

"Oh, yeah that sounds good...what's Google too?" Steve asked her.

"Google is a search engine," Jamie said. "They have this space where you can type pretty much anything in and it'll bring you a bunch of sites or explanations to what you're looking for. And I can show you around that too, if you want."

"Well, that is very sweet of you," Amir said, smirking towards the girl with a teasing smirk.

"Oh shut up," Jamie muttered.

"You don't have too. I just wanted to know what it was so I would know what it was when people bring it up in conversation." Steve shrugged. "Starbucks is another one. Sounds rather...odd."

Jamie laughed. "Starbucks is a coffee place," Jamie said. "And really, it's absolutely no problem. I'm more than happy to help. I don't do much other than go to the gym and work." Jamie started to say. "Or, I could even do it while we're here. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing here anyway so..."

"Sure, I've got nothing to do between mission briefings or training." Steve murmured. "Here's to being clueless."

"To cluelessness," Jamie said in agreement.

"Speaking of which," Steve said looking at the clock on the wall. He looked back to her, his slate blue eyes apologetic. "I have to go for a briefing with Dr. Banner."

"Dr. Banner?" Jamie questioned.

"Uh yeah, he seems like a nice guy." Steve said shrugging. "I've only met him briefly but he's calm and relaxed. I think you'd like him. I'll introduce you later?" he asked smiling.

"I would appreciate that, thank you," she said. "I'll be in here for whenever you want to do that, or the research."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Captain Rogers," Amir said from his desk.

"You too, Sir," Steve said nodding to the man. He patted Jamie's shoulder. "Take care of yourself Jamie, okay? I worry, after all every time I see you you've seem to have gotten into some kind of trouble." he smiled shyly.

"Trouble is my middle name," she said as she stood from her seat. "Take it easy," she said, moving in, pecking him on the cheek in the most friendly manner, just as she had always done with her father and brother, as well as Amir and her closest friends. "I'll see you in a little while."

Steve stuttered but nodded slowly, looking much like a school boy from the contact. But it made sense, being from the 1940's to be squeamish about public displays of affection. "Yes, ma'a- Jamie. I'll see you later," he said backing out of the room and into the hall, as if she were an enemy he couldn't put his back too.

"I better," she laughed, calling after him, trying to make him feel a little more comfortable. "I'm holding you to that introduction, Rogers."

"I wouldn't dream of denying you from meeting the good doctor," Steve called back.

Jamie just rolled her eyes, plopping back down on the bed next to Amir's desk. She settled down, pulling her legs under her to make herself more comfortable. Once she knew Steve was completely gone, she turned back to Amir, who happened to be smiling at her in a way that made her roll her eyes.

"What is it now, Amir?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, it is nothing," he chuckled.

"No, it isn't _nothing_ ," Jamie pressed. "What are you smirking about?"

"He seems very nice."

"He is, what's your point?"

"Do I need a point?"

"Of course you need a point, you're Amir. You _always_ have a point."

"You seem very friendly with him," he said.

"We've met on several occasions," Jamie informed him. "We've talked about some pretty heavy stuff."

"Is he aware of what occurred in our captivity?" he asked.

"He knows about the captivity, that we were experimented on and tortured, but not the effect it had on me," Jamie stated. "And he's not going to."

"Perhaps he would understand," Amir said.

"I don't care if Captain America understands," Jamie said. "He's not going to know. Nobody else is going to know. It's just us, Fury and Coulson. _That's it_."

"If you say so, child," Amir said. "Just remember, you had once believed you would never control your ability just because your disdain for the people responsible for them. Perhaps this is like that."

Jamie just hummed, ignoring Amir's comment and laying back on the bed.

* * *

 **Yay! Steve's back and they walk! That's such a big step with Jamie, don't you think?** **Anyway, hope you thought Steve's reaction was believable, and thank you to _StillDoll13_ for her help with everything. She is a godsend.**

Thank you for the following individuals for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **Guest** _ \- I'm so glad you loved it and are excited for updates. That makes writing this so much more fun, knowing that people really enjoy them. Thank you for your review and I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last.

 _ **texasreader** _ \- Jamie's being addressed as Private because of a couple reasons. For Fury and Steve it's because of the fact that they were also in the military. Addressing another who was also in serves, whether or not still active in duty, is kind of just drilled into them. Coulson addresses her as Private because he knows Jamie prefers to be call it instead of Miss. Being apart of the military is something that Jamie still longs to be, even if they won't allow her to anymore. Being a Private is something she's proud of. For those reason's she still goes by Private. Though she doesn't correct people when they call her anything other than that either. Oh, and romance is a complicated thing. You'll just have to wait and see how long that's going to take to arise. ;) Thank you for your lovely review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh, and I hope the explanation makes sense.

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- Lol, no, you spelled Amir correctly. And yeah, Jamie isn't really that unreasonable (though you may change your mind about that in the next coming chapters if you happen to agree with me on her being reasonable) Oh, I'm so glad that you thought it fits in. That just makes me so relieved. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you liked seeing Steve again in this chapter. Let me know what you thought!

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- And so it begins! (Lol, that's actually the chapter title for chapter 13). Yes, I know. You always have a way of remembering things like her injuries and how Steve would react. I hope you thought it was appropriate. I'm glad you loved the chapter, and I hope you loved this one too. Thanks for your lovely reviews!

 _ **Knighthawk93** _ \- Really? I can expect a review every time? YES! I've gotta admit, I'm a total review whore so that makes me very happy! Thank you. And yes, I just HAD to put Amir in there. I mean, it would be something SHIELD would do, especially since he's already familiar with Jamie and her body and her ability, so it's the wises decision. And yes, Steve is back! And he really is a gentleman, isn't he? It's just so adorable. And you on't have to wait long for Banner and Roe interaction. That's the next chapter!

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ \- They are. My OCD comes into play when writing them. I want them to be realistic, but then they get kind of repetitive and so on and so forth. I figured a couple easy chapters enter in on the Helecarrier would be best for Jamie, that way you could see Amir, have meeting, see Steve, and Bruce (which comes next chapter) And Of course Amir had to be there! He's Jamie's personal doctor, after all. Jamie has a potty mouth, and I love that about her. She tries so hard not to, but as you'll see in chapters to come that she fails and it's rather humorous with Steve, and not just because of the whole "Language" comment in Avengers 2.

 **Also, great news! I have 4 chapters already and ready to be posted once I get a couple reviews after I post the most recent chapter. I try to give it a couple days to get some feedback (PLEASE REVIEW) before posting though. Generally like 5-6 reviews to get a few pov's on what they read. But I just figured you guys would like to hear that. Anyway, thank and I hope you enjoyed.**


	12. It's Okay

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, The Fantastic 4. Just Jamie.**

* * *

Chapter 12  
It's Okay

"So, what's the good doctor like?" Jamie asked Steve, following him as they made their way down an unfamiliar hallway. She knew she should have been paying attention to where they were going, but she had seen so many hallways that looked exactly the same that she just stopped.

"Kind of a downer, but in a good way. Like...I don't know how to describe it. A welcomed pessimistic view?" Steve asked. "He tells it like it is, in a polite manner."

"So he kind of just states what everybody is thinking in a way that makes it seem like it's an everyday thing to be said?" Jamie asked.

"Exactly," Steve said snapping his finger at her. "It's rather refreshing, to be honest."

"It's reassuring to know someone else is thinking what you are," Jamie agreed.

"Exactly," Steve repeated as he knocked on the door, a cup of coffee in his hand for the doctor. He then slid the door open and stepped aside for her. "Dr. Banner? I brought you some coffee and someone I'd like you to meet."

"I'll try my best to tell them appart." Dr. Banner said looking up from his work, peeking up at them from over his reading glasses.

Jamie chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Hello, Dr. Banner," Jamie greeted, offering her hand to shake with the man's.

"Hello, you must be Private Jamie Roe. Steve mentioned bringing you by," Bruce said coming around to shake her hand, slipping his glasses into his pocket. "Any friend of the Captain is a good acquaintance to have."

"Is that so?" Jamie inquired, raising an eyebrow at the two. "Well, consider us friends then."

"Well, I don't see why not," Bruce said leaning back against the desk and taking a tablet sitting on it from the surface.

"Friends are always a good thing to have, or so I've been told," Jamie joked.

"Better than debilitating diseases." Bruce nodded as he typed away, before sighing and putting his glasses back on to see.

"Or torture sessions," Jamie said.

"Plane crashes," Steve tacked on.

Jamie laughed. "Well, aren't we just the happiest bunch of people there ever were," she joked.

"Is it sad this is what I thought would happen when I introduced you two?" Steve sighed, though a smile in place.

"Of course it is," Bruce answered.

"Though realistic to think," Jamie added, taking a sip of her new cup of coffee she had gotten when going with Steve to get Banner some.

"It's nice to meet you otherwise ,Private Roe," Bruce said taking pause to drink his coffee as well.

"You as well, Dr. Banner,' Jamie said. "And please, call me Jamie."

"Alright, call me Bruce then," the doctor asked as he smiled at her. He suddenly furrowed his brows and looked down at his tablet.

"So, what kind of doctor are you?" Jamie asked.

"Oh um," Bruce said looking up. "Nuclear Physics," he said slowing as if shocked about something. Did she not know...? He thought everyone did.

"Ah, so not medical like Amir," Jamie mumbled to herself.

"No, I have a minor in Biology too." Bruce said nodding.

"So what did they bring _you_ here for?" Jamie inquired, lifting her cup to her lips for another swig of rapidly cooling black coffee.

"Gamma Radiation," Bruce said and put some readings up on a bigger screen for her to see. "They have me tracking it, though I have a constant reading of one on the Helicarrier, which is odd."

Jamie choked on the liquid going down her throat. She set the cup down on the counter next to her, covering her mouth and she tried to catch her breathe. _Gamma radiation? Why the hell are they tracking gamma rays?_ And why were they getting a reading on her? She knew she gave off a slight reading because of the energy pulsing through her, but she wasn't aware she could be picked up on readings!

 _Aleast he doesn't know it's me,_ Jamie thought. _I still have that going for me._ "Sorry," Jamie finally managed to get out. "Please forgive me if I don't understand any of that," she added.

"It's okay, not many people do. I see Captain Roger's eyes glaze over whenever I bring the topic up," Bruce joked with a smile.

"I do not," Steve protested. "Do I?"

"Yes, but so do I, so don't feel bad," Jamie said, trying to make the old man feel better. "Uh, why are you tracking gamma signatures?" she asked.

"Loki's staff," Bruce said softly as he pulled up a visual for her. "It gives off low level traces of the stuff."

"Who?" Jamie asked.

"Uhh, does she not know? I thought I was the only one to be kept in the dark," Bruce grumbled passive aggressively.

"Um, do you know who Thor is?" Steve asked her.

"No?" Jamie answered slowly. "If you recall, Captain, I was kind of _away_ for a year and a half. I only got home about two months ago."

"Oh uh, right. Norse God of Thunder, turns out those guys are real," Steve said shrugging.

"And his brother is kinda really evil," Bruce muttered. "And completely insane, like _stupid_ insane."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Jamie muttered. "Mythological gods are real? And they're here on Earth?" She shook her head in disbelieve. "Are they actually gods, or just aliens or something? I mean, I'm Catholic so…"

"There's only one God," Steve grumbled mostly to himself.

"They're actually Aliens," Bruce explained, "thought to be gods, you know?"

"Well, I guess Ancient Aliens should get called, have them do a special or something," Jamie laughed. "So this _Loki_ guy took the tesseract," Jamie said. "Am I right on that front?" Jamie asked. She may not have known much about everything else, but Fury had told her about their energy box. That was the main reason why she was there, after all.

"Yep, and you know, megalomaniacs and super powerful ancient artifacts don't really mix well." Bruce said, "We're trying to find it."

"Okay, I get it now," Jamie said. "So I take it your don't actually work for SHIELD, at least not normally?"

"Not in the slightest," Bruce answered. "And I take it your aren't either, from the sound of it."

"Nope," Jamie stated. "I'm a security guard at the Baxter Building," she informed him.

"Oh, Reed and Sue's place?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, you know them?" she asked.

"Yeah, we've corresponded over the years discussing research and whatnot," Bruce answered. "And plus, they're the Fantastic Four, so everybody kind of knows them."

"You have a point there," Jamie said.

"Besides, I'm a Nuclear Physicist, I helped analyze data for him before my...accident." Bruce murmured.

"I'm sorry, an accident?" Jamie asked slowly, making it clear she didn't know what he was talking about, and that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to.

"Oh so you really don't know then. Well that's refreshing that someone doesn't know about the Other Guy," Bruce grumbled going around to sit in his desk chair again.

"Dr. Banner had an unfortunate accident with Gamma Radiation," Steve explained to her.

"Captain Roger's is being kind," Bruce scoffed. "The big green guy causing billions of dollars of property damage? _That's_ the Other Guy," Bruce said tapping the side of his head.

"Again, I'm sorry, but I don't know what _Other Guy_ you're talking about," Jamie stated slowly.

"Oh well this just went from refreshing to slightly aggravating." Bruce murmured. "The _Hulk_."

"I honestly don't know what the _Hulk_ is," Jamie said. "And I apologize if I'm upsetting you. I was kind of away for a while and we didn't have any access to news or anything related to the outside world."

"No, no it's fine. Everybody on this whole ship knows about the ticking time bomb they just put in a flying sardine can," Bruce said lowly.

Steve was suddenly gripping her arm and pulling her back an inch, angling himself in between her and the doctor, as if the older, rather meek looking man was a danger to her.

"Eh, that's me walking around on a daily basis," Jamie informed him with a shrug. "If it makes you feel any better," she stated to say, "I can relate to the pain that kind of gamma exposure causes."

" _You_!" Bruce said suddenly changing the topic, no longer aggressive as he looked up and snapped his fingers at her. "You're the cause of the low levels of gamma radiation on this ship!" he said as he got up and took a device out of a drawer to his left.

"Guilty as charged," Jamie muttered, not at all comfortable with the shift of attention to her, but she would put up with it if Banner felt better.

Bruce rolled over to her. "Mind if I give you a scan, just so I can knock you out as a variable on my scans?" Bruce asked her. "It would make my life so much easier," he sighed. He eyed Steve as he still stood in front of her like a guard dog.

Jamie placed a gentle hand on Steve's arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze before stepping around him. "Be my guest, Doc," she chuckled humorlessly.

"Where was it exactly you said you were when you were gone?" he asked as he conducted his scan.

"Uh, Qatar, actually," she answered.

"Qatar? That's not very removed," he muttered.

"No, but like I said, we didn't really have access to a lot," Jamie put in, giving Steve a pointed look to keep quiet about what she had told him earlier.

"Well, glad to have you back and on our side," Bruce said and finished the scan and rolling back to his desk. "All done, thanks. Should lighten the load a bit,"

"No problem," Jamie said. "Anything to help stop the bad guys."

"That's what the US said during WWII," Bruce murmured.

"I have no idea how to respond to that," Jamie muttered.

"Neither do I, I was there but kind of missed out on the last part." Steve muttered. "But I read about it."

"Well, that's a start," Jamie said. "I could recommend some books. I love history."

"History was my second best subject." Steve smiled at her.

"What was your best?" Bruce inquired.

"Art," Steve blushed darkly looking away.

"You're an artist?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, drawing relaxes me, it just turns out I'm good."

"Really?" Jamie asked. "That's amazing. I, for one, can't do anything artistic. That's probably why I like it so much."

"I can give you lessons, you know in exchange for the technology lessons." Steve offered.

"Art lessons aren't going to get me anywhere," Jamie laughed. "But how about you show me some of your stuff in exchange?"

"S-Sounds fair," Steve muttered softly.

Bruce looked at the two, studying them silently as their exchange went on. "Uh, should I leave, I know it's my lab and stuff but you two look like you need to talk about...things," Bruce murmured. "But excuse that if it's not true, I'm not exactly one to pick up on social ques."

"I'm sorry?" Jamie asked, turning towards the scientist. "I don't follow."

"My...side effect of gamma radiation poisoning is dangerous when I'm under stress, so I tend to stay away from people. For my own good." Bruce said. "Oh and the little fact about the government making me the CIA's most wanted."

"Alright," Jamie said slowly. "But I don't understand why we would want you to leave the lab though."

"Aren't you two...you know...an item?" Bruce asked and once again Steve's face exploded red with a blush.

"D-Dr. Banner, we are no such thing," Steve said nervously.

Jamie's face heated up too. Why did everybody seem to think that? First Amir, now Bruce, who was next? Yes, she had to admit, Steve was incredibly fine to look at, and she often found herself with her eyes fixated on his form while they were in the gym together. She always did it discreetly though, without him knowing. And he was incredibly sweet, but she hardly knew him. There was _nothing_ going on there.

"No," Jamie added in. "We're not...We're just friends. It was a coincidence we both happened to be here."

"Oh, sorry. You just seem to have good chemistry," Bruce apologized.

"T-Thank you. I suppose we do make a good team." Steve said looking away but giving Jamie a smile.

Jamie cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, uh, how's that search coming along?"

"It's...coming. It will take a while though," Bruce said sighing.

There came a knock at the open door, the three occupants of the room turning to see who the new arrival happened to be. Agent Coulson stood there, his eyes fixating more towards Captain Rogers than either Bruce or Jamie.

Jamie couldn't help but smirk. She knew how much of a fan Phil was of Captain American. She knew he had to be eating up the fact that he was actually real, actually standing in the room in front of him. His hero, long thought missing and dead, was alive and still kicking. Jamie knew her brother would have been eating that up, that's for sure.

"Private Roe, your presence is necessary for the analysis of the data on the flash drive you gave us," Coulson informed her.

Jamie's face fell. She was already regretting giving them the flash drive. Now she was going to be forced to relive every last detail, down to the video surveillance and the training methods. But it was all part of the agreement, and Jamie never went back on her promises.

"Of course," Jamie sighed. "If you'll excuse me, Gentlemen," Jamie said, toward the two men she had just been conversing with.

"Nice meeting you, Private Roe, I look forward to seeing you sometime," Bruce said waving at her.

"Oh, I'll be sure to stop in again soon with more coffee, I assure you," Jamie told him, extending her hand to shake once more.

"That would be most appreciated." Bruce smiled at her.

"Call me if you need me, okay?" Steve asked her.

"Sure," Jamie told Steve, moving over to him. "I'll catch you later," she said, leaning up to give a friendly peck on the cheek. "Maybe grab dinner with you in the mess?" she asked.

"Yeah, see you there!" Steve assured her blushing again.

Once out into the hallway, making her way towards wherever it was they were going, Jamie addressed Coulson. "It's good to see you kept your word, Agent Coulson."

"Are you surprised?" Coulson asked her.

When Jamie thought about it, it truly did not. "No," she answered. "You're a surprisingly honest man for someone in your line of work."

"Thanks, I guess," he scoffed.

"You're welcome, I guess," Jamie chuckled back. "So, from what Amir tells me, you're the Director's right hand man. I never knew you were such an important man, Agent Coulson. So sending you to question me when you have a lot more important things to do is kind of flattering."

"Director Fury see's that you could be an important asset," he said.

"Even when he didn't actually know what was going on?" Jamie asked. "I mean, there were seven soldiers that made it out of that base in Qatar. What made me so special?"

"The way you acted," Coulson answered. "James, Patrick, the Royal Marines? They all turned us down. They were colder. You? You actually made appointment. Yes, you avoided them, but you actual entertained the idea. Showed us a little bit of respect. At least to me. And you seemed like you had the most to hid. You were keeping your own secret, while the others were keep your secret. Not theirs."

"I wasn't aware I was being so obvious," she said.

"Oh, you weren't," he added. "We're just that good."

"You seem very sure of yourself on that," Jamie laughed.

"I've been here awhile," he responded. "Director Fury tells me you agreed to both positions," he said. "Barton's substitute, and as our Contingency."

"I can't just very well let bad things happen to a lot of good people, can I?" she asked.

"So you'd give up your life just like that?" Coulson asked.

"Would _you_ if it meant something?" Jamie asked. "If it had a purpose; a _good_ purpose?"

Coulson glanced at her sideways, his expression showing that he was obviously thinking about her statement. Jamie just shrugged and looked away from him as they continued walking down hallway after hallway.

"If I can save at least one life in exchange for my own, I would be okay dying that way," she added. "I'm a soldier, Agent Coulson."

"I don't like it," he muttered lowly, barely audible for Jamie to hear.

"You disagree with what your Director says?" she questioned, very surprised.

He didn't even look at her when he said, "You're young, Jamie. You're twenty-four. You have a lot of life in front of you."

Jamie chuckled. The sound wasn't light though. It was a much heavier sound. Something that only came from a person that had seem very dark, cruel days. "I've done a lot of things in the military, Agent Coulson. Do you know how hard it is to tell people that you're a sniper? That you killed people for a living?"

"To save lives," he defended her.

"Maybe," she muttered.

"And you can save a lot more," Coulson said. "I know you can. You're a good person, Jamie. You're a fighter. A _protector_."

"I'm _tired_ ," she stated.

"Aren't we all," he said. "And yet, here we are."

"I guess you've got a point there," she admitted. "Oh, and Agent Coulson?"

"Yeah?"

"You've never called me Jamie before just now," she pointed out.

"I guess I haven't," he chuckled.

"You can call me that, you know," Jamie said. "I like it when people call me Jamie."

"I guess if I'm calling you Jamie, you can call me Phil," he sighed, though Jamie knew very well he was smirking.

Jamie and Phil didn't know each other greatly, but their meetings had brought them closer together. Jamie knew Phil had her best interest at heart, his statement about her giving up her life went to prove that. And Jamie knew Phil was a good guy.

"Alright," Jamie said, a smile gracing her lips. "So, Phil," Jamie laughed, "Captain America is real."

"I know," he said, nodding his head as if it weren't a big deal.

"Oh, come on!" Jamie exclaimed. "You have to admit that's _awesome_. And I'm on a first name basis with him too. I can't believe it. My brother's rolling around in his grave right now. I swear."

"It is pretty cool, isn't it?" he went on, showing his geekier side.

"It is far more than just cool," Jamie said. "Are you gonna get him to sign some of your stuff?"

"Yeah, I've got my Captain America trading cards with me," he said. "I don't' want to bother him though. I mean, he's been through so much. The last thing he needs is for me to as for his _autograph_."

"Steve's a reasonably guy," Jamie pointed out. "He likes you, so I'm pretty sure he'll say yes."

"Really? You think so?" Coulson asked, turning to look at Jamie with excited eyes.

"Yeah, I think so," Jamie said. "You are such a geek, Phil."

"With all do respect, Private Roe, shut up."

"Oh, what's a _Hulk_?"

* * *

 **And now we have Jamie meeting another member of the Avengers! Thank you to _StillDoll13_ and her sense of humor and her total guy sweetness in this chapter with parts of Banner and Rogers. Anyway, hope you guys think Bruce is portrayed correctly. We struggled with this one. Next chapter's Stuttgart! Anyway, hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think! **

Thanks go to the following people for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- I love having chapters already done and prepared! It makes things so much easier. I always aim to do every story that way...but it never ends up like that. :( Anyway, Steve's awkwardness is amazingly adorable, and I thank _**StillDoll13** _ for that. And Honestly...I couldn't wait to figure out how Steve was gonna react to Jamie's powers too. I just finished writing him _seeing_ it, but I haven't written his actual reaction and confrontation about it (so there's a little spoiler for you, if it actually is one).

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- You and me both. You and me both. But, if it makes you feel any better, I don' believe your fighting scenes are repetitive, so there's that, if it means anything? _**StillDoll13**_ 's head canon is actually the apprehension of the title and whatnot. I really liked it and kept it. I'm always afraid that I'm making Steve move too quickly and/or slowly (depending on the situation) when it comes to past and present comparisons and thoughts. Not that there hasn't been too much of it yet, but there's a part in the next chapter, or the following, I can't recall where he's a little more bold, but also still firmly set with the 40's mentality of conservative. I think you'll know what I mean when you read the part. Has something to do with uniforms if you get what I'm saying...(Also can't wait for the next update for your story! I'm excited!)

 _ **PokerFace1213** _ \- Hey, don't worry about it. People don't have to review. They're very nice things to get, but we're not _entitled_ to them. I love it when people do, but really whenever people can/do is more than I can even ask for (plus I'm guilty of getting lazy with them too so I can't be a hypocrite). Anyway, I'm so glad you "love love LOVE it" I'm also relieved Jamie can actually talk to Steve about who he is now too. It's always so annoying skirting around things. That's why I can't wait for _her_ secret to be revealed. Anyway, I'm glad you loved it and I hope to hear from you again.

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- ...Huh, yeah. It kind of always DOES pay out that way for people like Amir...doesn't it? I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happened to our sweet little Arab Doctor, won't we? (I am such a tease, I'm so sorry!). Tony's coming up soon, chapter 14, I believe. I promise. And I'm the not most proud of that scene, but with the situation and how everybody is, I think it's the most accurate way Jamie and everybody would behave. Not exactly the way I'd _want_ it, but...Well, you'll see what I mean when we get there. And with the way things are going, you'll probably only have to wait a day between updates until I run out...But I have a 4 day weekend coming up (my college has a lot of Jewish people so we have them off for their holidays. YES!) so I'll have plenty of time to write (between homework booo)!

 _ **ToFallUponTheNight** _ \- Amir is awesome to write. I always picture him, for Jamie, that he's the uncle she never had. He looks out for her and teachers her thing, but isn't afraid to tease. And he is _totally_ a closet matchmaker. I'm glad you like him so much (Everybody does apparently. I didn't know he's be such a hit!).

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Yay, you're back! Its nice to see (read?) you again! Yes, Chris Evans is a very, VERY handsome man...But anywho! And Jamie feels the same way as you do. She understands that things are different for him (now at least) and that he's out of his element. She finds it rather endearing. I hope you liked the Banner interaction in this chapter. Awwww, you just made my horrible start of my day better by saying that! Thank you, I really needed to hear something like that (especially when one single class is making you question your entire major and life choices...But that's beside the point!) Thank you, and I'm so glad that you really like that story. I just hope, as I continue,that you still believe so.


	13. Let It Go

**Disclaimer: I don' own Marvel and Avengers or The Fantastic 4. Just Jameson and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 13  
Let It Go

"We can't understand why you were the only one that took to their experiment," Coulson stated.

Jamie was sitting back at the large conference table in the secured room she had been in earlier that day with Director Fury. Director Fury was standing in the front of the room, the glass screen displaying all the information that had been stored on the flash drive. His arms were crossed, and his good eye focused on the information, ignoring the young woman for the time being.

Coulson was standing behind her, arms also crossed, though his attention was going between Jamir, Director Fury, and Amir. Amir was pulled from the medical bay for the meeting, seeing as he was very much apart of what happened in Qatar as Jamie was. He was sitting on the other side of her, looking very much uncomfortable with being in the same room with the people that threatened to deport him.

"We don't either," Jamie admitted. "I don't think Dr. Hull really did."

"We did some research with the information you gave us before we brought you back in," Coulson said. "You originally stated in your report that you thought the group had been al-Qaeda related."

"Yeah, but that was until I heard Dr. Hull actually speak," Jamie said. "He was speaking in Estonian, I think. I don't think he actually had anything to do with al-Qaeda."

"Well, you're right about the Estonian thing. Dr. Kristjan Hull, born and raised in Tartu, Estonia. He got his Doctorate at Johns Hopkins before returning back to Tartu to work at the University of Tartu, where he was eventually fired for unethical experimentation. He ended up getting recruited by Cerberus sometime after that."

"Cerberus?" Jamie asked. "Like the dog that guards hell in Greek mythology?"

"That's what they call themselves," Coulson said with a nod. "We don't know much about them. All we really know for sure is that they conduct experiments, like what they did to you. They move around a lot, so it's hard to track their whereabout. And it's even harder to figure out who they have working for them."

 _Cerberus,_ Jamie thought. _Well, that's comforting. At least I have a name to go along with the face, so to speak._ "So you weren't aware of their base in Qatar?" Jamie asked.

"No, and we aren't aware of their whereabouts currently," Fury stated.

"So they could still be doing what they did to us right now?" Jamie asked, her anger boiling inside her.

"There's a possibility," Fury stated. "But we can't worry about that right now. We have to focus on getting the Tesseract back."

"From Loki?" Jamie asked. "That's the guy's name right? Some alien?"

"Aliens?" Amir gaped in shock.

"Who told you about that?" Fury asked.

"I'm apart of this mission. You're the one that brought me in on it. Did you think I wouldn't try and find out more information on what I was going to be doing?" Jamie asked, not answering his question. She didn't want Steve or Bruce to get reprimanded for the info if they weren't supposed to tell her.

"You didn't answer my question," Fury pointed out.

"Captain Rogers and Private Roe are acquaintances, Director," Coulson said. "They've been spending a majority of their time so far on the helicarrier together. I would assume it was him or Dr. Banner, who was with her when I retrieved her. I believe it's best she know though, Sir. That way she isn't surprised when she eventually found out."

"After all this is over," Jamie said, trying to change the subject, "are you going to put more efforts into anything Cerberus related?"

"We will look into it, I assure you," Fury said.

Jamie looked at him oddly. He was giving her an odd feeling. The same feeling he had given her the moment she had met him. His secretes, so many secrets. "But you won't keep me updated, will you?"

"The matter doesn't concern you anymore, Private," Fury said.

"The hell it doesn't," Jamie scoffed.

"You are no longer in the service, and you aren't an agent here," Fury went on.

"Almost two years," Jamie stated, standing up from her seat. "That's how long we were in that hellhole. You have _no idea_ what it was like! How they _manipulated_ and _tortured_ and _used_ us. So don't you fucking dare tell me it isn't my business, _Director_."  
"I think we're done here, Private," Fury said, glaring at the girl. "You're dismissed."

Jamie remained unmoving for several seconds, staring down the Director, afraid that if she backed down, she would lose any possibility of ever being updated on the hunt for Cerberus. But Director Fury was much older than she. He had been through few knew what, and Jamie's ordeals were displayed out for him to go through whenever he damn well pleased. And that look that he gave her, that look of utter authority and mystery.

Never in her life had Jamie ever encountered someone like Fury. She had had very intimidating and loud commanding officers. She had horrible, cocky and unimportant training officers. But none were like Director Fury. Fury was intimidating, important, strong. He knew what he was talking about, and he was used to getting his way. Jamie could very clearly see that.

And Jamie was very used to not getting her way. But nothing, in that moment, seemed more important to her than wanting to know that they would take down Cerberus. She needed to know that those horrible people, that only thought of them as disposable specimens would captured or killed. Her friends, her best friend, had died because of of those men. Families were missing loved ones because of those bastards.

"Perhaps we'll discuss it again once all of this is over," Coulson suggested, trying to break up the silent war.

"Agent Coulson's right, Fury said, finally breaking eye contact with the girl. "We'll discuss this at a more appropriate time."

Jamie quickly turned and stalked out of the room, leaving everybody behind in her wake. She made her way back to her lone quarters with relative ease, though she did take one wrong turn before realizing and having to turn back. Once inside, Jamie couldn't' stop herself from pacing in frustration.

 _How can I possibly drop the whole_ damn _thing? Those people killed us! They stripped us of our dignity; our minds! They stole away our peace of mind and who we were! They changed everything! They look everything! Our lives, our minds, our family and friends and freedom! How can Fury just expect me to just leave it be?_

 _I don't have to be involved with it. I just wanna know what they find. I just gotta know that they get them. That they make them pay for every body they threw into the furnace and took from us_.

A knock came at the door, and Jamie froze mid-pace. Who could possibly be at her door? Was it time for the mission? Was she needed? God, she hoped she wasn't. All she wanted to do was be left alone. She didn't want to deal with Loki, the alien that took an energy source she may or may not die over.

But she knew she didn't have much choice in the matter. Not from either SHIELD or her own morals. That was why Jamie went to the door and opened it to find Agent Coulson standing there. She moved to the side to let him enter, seeing as he just stood there and didn't say anything. He walked in and went straight to the bed, sitting down on it.

"Did Amir tell you to check on me?" Jamie asked, sitting down on the edge of her bunk beside him.

"No," Coulson answered.

"Then why are you here, Phil?" she asked.

"Because I'm worried about you," he said. "Fury was the one that wanted me to make sure you were okay. Not Amir."

"Right, because after telling me no, I can't know about anything that goes on with Cerberus, he wants to make sure his contingency plan will still go through with it," Jamie scoffed. "Yeah. Well, you can tell him that I'm still gonna do it. Not because of him. Because of the people it could save."

"Did you know Fury was a Colonel?" he asked.

"He has that military air about him," Jamie said with a nod.

"He knows how hard war can be, and he knows that it can't be easy to let things like this go," Coulson said. "He doesn't think that it'll be good for you to stay attacked."

"What about closure, huh?" Jamie asked.

"I don't think it's closure you're after," he corrected.

Jamie shook her head. Phil didn't know what it was like being held there. He didn't know what she needed. "We lost a lot of people over there," Jamie stated. "A lot of good men and women."

"But you lost someone important, didn't you," Coulson figured. "That's what this is really about."

Jamie sat forward, nodding her head. "Yeah," she answered. "My best friend."

"I'm sorry for your lose," Coulson said.

"Yeah, me too," she muttered, running her hands through her head. "And he was so close to getting out with us too. During the escape we, uh, got separated. It was hectic. I got the others to a truck and went back for Amir, James and Aaron, but when I got there Aaron was nowhere to be found and I had to get out of there before it blew. I had to get Amir and James out of there, or stay and risk their lives to look for Aaron. So I left."

"That wasn't your fault, Jamie," he assured.

Jamie scoffed, shaking her head. She sat back, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"You know, people keep telling me that," she mumbled. "But it...I promised he'd get home to see his brother again. And when we got home I tried to go and tell his brother what happen in person. He deserved to know what happened to his brother. How hard he fought. How long he survived to see him, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't face him and tell him I couldn't bring his brother back home to him."

"It wasn't your fault, Jamie," Coulson repeated.

"I've lost a lot of people," she went on. "My mother, father, brother, all before I even joined in on the war. Then I had three tours, and we lost even more people there. I've lost a lot of them, but Aaron's the one I remember."

Aaron smiled at her. His true happiness showing in the crinkle of his eyes. His brown hues would always look at her straight on, having to look down at her from his much taller height. Showing her that she was just like every other soldier there.

"He's the one I can't get out of my head."

"You've gotta let it go, Jamie," Phil said.

Jamie looked up, the tear slipping out of her eyes. Phil was looking down at her, his words hitting her hard. How could she possibly let her best friend go? But something in Phil's eyes told her that he had dealt with something like that before. That had had others that went through similar ordeals, and had to say the same exact words to them.

"You have to let him go."

Jamie shook her head, drooping it into her hands. "I don't know if I can," she thought.

"You can," Coulson said. "And you will. Because you're a fighter. You went back for him, Jamie, and that's all you could have done. You went back. You didn't abandon him like you think you did. You went back and it wasn't your fault he wasn't there. You fought for him, and that's all you could have ever done. His fighting just wasn't good enough. Not yours."

"You think so?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," he told her.

"And do you think it'll come down to the contingency?" she asked.

Coulson shook his head, seemingly very convinced that no, they wouldn't have to go there. "No, I'm riding on something else entirely."

"The Avengers?" she asked.

"Yeah, if anybody can stop this from happening, I think it's them. Captain America can do _anything_."

Jamie scoffed, shaking her head. She whipped the tears from her eyes and dried her cheeks before looking back at him. "You want a little piece of advice when it comes to Steve, Phil?"

"Oh, and what's that?" he asked. "You know more about Captain America than I do?"

"No, but I do know more about Steve Rogers," she said. "He's a man, Phil. He's _just_ a man. Remember that."

"Well, I have to ask _Just-a-Man_ if he'll sign my card," he said. "Care to join me to the bridge?"

Jamie sighed, pushing herself up off the bed. "Yeah, I guess so. Better than being stuck in here."

* * *

The whole time Jamie had been on the helicarrier, she had no idea that the helicarrier had lifted out of the water and into the air. When she and Phil made it to the bridge, Jamie's attention was instantly pulled to the large glass windows. They were so high up, and it was so dark. She could barely see the water below them, but the stars above in the clear sky were absolutely brilliant. If their rooms had windows and would have gladly stayed in there staring out of it for the rest of her stay that.

It was far more peaceful there though. Her busy mind was distracted, focusing on just how lovely the scenery was. It wasn't a war, like the one they were fighting and it wasn't the war that was going on in her head. Even the sounds of the men and women behind her couldn't distract her from was was her solace for the moment.

Jamie was just able to hear Coulson addressing Steve from over her shoulder. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"No, no, it's fine," Steve replied.

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Phil added, "It's a vintage set. Took me a couple years to collect them all." Another awkward pause, and Jamie couldn't help but smirk and roll her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're mint, slight boxing around the edges-"

"We've got a hit," one of the agents called out to their left.

Jamie's attention was pulled from the conversation and her few to a bald man sitting at one of the computer screens. The moment she had been so anxious for had finally arrived. The feeling of dread instantly washed over her as she made her way closer ever so slowly. Her arms were still crossed, the wound on her shoulder aching from the pull, but she ignored it. There were more important matters at the moment.

"Sixty-seven percent match…wait, crossmatch, seventy-nine percent."

Phil walked over to take a look and asked, "Location?"

"Stuttgart, Germany. He's not exactly hiding," the man replied. The man continued on to give the exact address that Loki was at, but Jamie's attention was pulled away from them and to Fury as he ordered Steve.

"Captain," Fury said. "You're up." Steve took in a deep breath and gave a slight nod of his head. "Private Roe will assist and be your eyes."

Jamie and Steve glanced at one another before Steve nodded his head towards the hallway, indicating for her to follow. She did instant. Jamie knew she needed to get her head back in the game. She had wanted to go back out into the field and do what she had been trained to do. She hadn't wanted to do it with SHIELD, but at least she was going to be doing something important; making a difference.

"You ready for this?" Steve asked.

Jamie took in a deep breathe and slowly let it out as she nodded. "Kind of have to be," she answered.

"Sorry we couldn't grab dinner in the mess hall," he said, as if just recalling their deal from earlier that day.

Jamie chuckled. Steve's innocence and kindness had a way of always distracting her and making her feel better. And that was just from the couple times that had actually spent talking together. If she stuck around him, perhaps she really could let it go, as Phil said he believed she could.

And just maybe Jamie was willing to give it a shot.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed. "I'll take a rain-check."

"You got it, Jamie."

* * *

 **Well, who expected that? Jamie and Steve and Natasha go up against Loki next chapter...And Jamie actually meets the Black Widow. Anyway, hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think! Reviews make chapters come faster!**

Thanks to the following individuals for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- Hey, once I hit 6 reviews, I like to post. I mean, I should probably wait for more, but I'm just too excited to really not post. I need to relearn patience...Nah. I agree with you on the front that Steve is tricky to write. He does get a lot better. And even by the time Winter Soldier hits, he's pretty well integrated. So much so that he can openly joke about things, like how his "Barbershop quartet" was dead so he couldn't go out and hang with them, or for "being a fossil" and whatnot.

 _ **Dongyrn** _ \- Hey, a short while is better than nothing, you found the story, that's all I care about! (Plus, in comparison to a lot of stuff I've had up, it hasn't been up all that long). I know people who really are against OC stories, but like you said, it's really nice to find a well written OC fic. I'm so glad you think this is one of them though. Thank you so much for your review and I hope you liked this chapter!

 _ **texasreader** _ \- Aw, thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- I thought about Bruce thinking something was up. And we all know he is, but I also believe he's so preoccupied wit everything else, like finding the cube so he can leave, to really put a large amount of thought into it. I still think you're going to like the reveal. And Tony. Tony's well...Tony...That's all you can really say about him.

 _ **Pein's Kid** _ \- I couldn't resist putting that it. I honestly almost forgot to have her address it though. I didn't really want to write in the explanation, but I had to at least get it so we all know she got filled in. Why not make it funny?

 _ **animagirl**_ \- You also have to remember that they've been in captivity for a year. Their mind sets aren't exactly the most healthy or what a normal person would thing. For Jamie, she's been tortured and experimented on for a year, and despite saying she believed they'd get out, she didn't, so she wanted to make their lives more inconvenient, as much as she could but that was about all the revenge she could get at that point.

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- I know. I love it when Bruce gets interested in things or figures something out. It's like a small child realizing something that adults are accustomed to, you know? Yeah, and as the story goes on, a lot of people are going to see Steve and Jamie the same way as Amir and Bruce have (spoiler). Oh and Stuttgart was one of my favorite parts too. Every time I watch it, I hum the music in the background and when Loki flips the guy I'm totally like, "Le flip!"

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- ANCIENT ALIENS HAD THAT MANY SEASONS? My word! I never actually saw a full episode of that show, just snippets from others watching it, or me just channel surfing. Though I have to admit, I do like to hear other people's pov's on stuff like that. It can be so stupid and you know it's not true, but I love listening to people try to explain and justify how they think. That's probably why I'm one of those people that liked watching movies in history class or, say, anthropology. Anywho, that's really off topic! Look on the bright side, you get to meet Tony next chapter! Jamie is surrounded by guys and she is still feminine, though I don't believe as feminine as Natasha. Don't get me wrong, Jamie loves hockey and football and baseball (though I'm not a huge baseball fan so it's harder for me to write her liking that...Again, besides the point!), and she can be one of the guys, but that doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate getting dressed up sometimes, looking nice for herself and a guy she's interested in. Though, to be honest, she's more of a home body. She loves movies and watching them at home on her couch or in bed (though going to the theater is awesome too), but she also loves musicals, but not always a huge fan of going to Broadway shows...And that was a whole lot of Jamie-ness for you...Hope that wasn't overwhelming or useless and you like it so I totally didn't waste my time telling you stuff you didn't care about. Though, you will see Jamie be more girlish later on in the story, between Avengers and Cap 2, because (spoiler) she meets a girl and they become close friend. Not that her and Nat aren't going to be friends, but Nat is more like Jamie than she with with the other girl. Anywho, I'm gonna stop there before I give too much away. Thanks for the best wishes on the weekend. I have to build a 27" paper tower with only 32 pieces of paper, with a design element incorporated that has to hold 25 lbs, and the first one already failed, so wish me even more luck!


	14. The Asgardians

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, Marvel or anything of the sort. Just Jamie and so on...**

* * *

Chapter 14  
The Asgardians

Phil had stated that SHIELD would be providing Jamie with a uniform, and she had honestly completely forgot about that when she arrived on the vessel and distracted by everything around her. She had originally thought that the clothes that Amir had provided for her were all she was going to get, besides the things that Phil had packed away for her in her back.

But that wasn't right. The uniform that had been designed for Jamie was interesting, to say the least. It was a cross between the skin tight uniforms all of the SHIELD agents wore, those leather spandex looking get ups. But it was different, and it was definitely worth noting that Jamie preferred her version better than what everybody else had.

The jet black spandex top greatly resembled a normal one, though this top piece had no sleeves, and the area around where her arms were lined with a thin light blue trim. The color was higher than the rest, almost going all the way up to her chin like turtle neck, but the zipper in front allowed for Jamie to comfortably place where the opening should go, which she decided was five inches below her collarbone to comfortably allow for her to move her neck without the collar from rubbing the bruise on her neck.

The top tucked into a tight, though flexible black pair of pants that tucked into sleek black military style boots. Down the sides of the pants where the schemes were was the light blue trim that matched what was on her shirt. Around her waist was a belt that held her gun and ammunition, and the buckle of the belt was the same light blue trim that was on her pants and her top.

The uniform contoured her body beautifully, and it drew far more attention that she would have liked. But Jamie had to admit that it was far more appealing than her unflattering military garb.

Jamie walked out of her room and Steve walked pasted from changing into his own uniform. She froze, blinking in shock at his outfil. A smirk danced on her lips as she tried desperately to not laugh. "Well, hello Mr. Star-Spangled-Man-With-A-Plan," she greeted.

Steve's outfit was a little more outrageous than Jamie's. There was no way for Steve to go out and be discrete in his red, white and blue outfit. It was far too flashy for anything covert. Jamie would have thought SHIELD would have thought about that.

"Shut up," Steve groaned, always feeling a bit awkward back in uniform. "Though it's better than my old one." he murmured softly. "That one was even more ridiculous."

"I don't know," Jamie said. "I think I prefer the original comic version."

"It was spandex." he groaned.

"So is this one!" Jamie pointed out.

"No it's high density something or another," Steve shrugged. "This can take a hit."

"Polymerised titanium?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah I think that's the word Miss Romanoff used." Steve nodded slowly. "You look good by the way." he commented.

"Really?" she asked, looking down at her uniform. "Phil said they made me a uniform, though I'm not really sure why. I'm only here temporarily. I kind of like it though."

"Well maybe he just wanted you to feel like you have a place here. Which you do." Steve told her.

"I don't know," Jamie muttered. "Fury doesn't seem to like me very much."

"He's just a harsh guy. Comes with power." Steve said before frowning. He reached over and pulled the zipper of her uniform up a bit.

Jamie blushed slightly. "Getting a little handsy now, aren't we, Cap?" she teased, lowering it back down slightly because of the bruise around her neck. She didn't have it go as low as it had been though.

"Don't wear it like that." Cap said to her shaking his head, though his cheeks burned. "It's too dangerous."

"Steve," Jamie said slowly with a visible smirk. "I'll be okay."

Steve made a distressed noise at the back of his throat but didn't push it.

"So, this Agent Romanoff," Jamie said. "She's going with us?"

"Yeah, she's my...well you can call her my handler," Steve chuckled as he started leading her up deck. "She's a swell lady, I suppose," he told her.

Jamie decided to drop the "swell lady" comment that came to her seeing as she already teased him about being handsy. "Okay, so what's she like?"

"Military woman all the way." Steve said after trying to think of a good way to put it.

"Military, or spy?" Jamie asked. "There's a difference."

"Spy, definitely a spy." Steve muttered.

"Then I will be sure to be very cautious around her," Jamie stated. "Military I'm fine with, spies kind of hesitant about."

"And you should."

Jamie turned around to see a small redhead walking up behind them, her uniform also slightly different than the typical SHIELD uniform, though closer to regulation than Jamie's. The only thing Jamie had to say about the woman was that she was an absolute temptress.

"Agent Romanoff, I presume?" Jamie asked.

"Natasha Romanoff," she answered, almost sizing the brunette up. "And you must be Private Roe."

"Yes Ma'am," Jamie answered with a simple nod.

"It's nice to have you along." Natasha smiled holding a hand out. "And Captain Rogers has talked a lot about you."

"Is that so?" Jamie muttered, taking her hand as she glanced at Steve. "What's he told you about me?"

"N-Not like that!" Steve protested. "But you are the closest thing to a friend I have in this day and age."

"Well, then I'm flattered," Jamie said, retracting her hand.

"As much as I'd like to stay and embarrass Captain Rogers some more, we really need to report to the quinjet," Natasha said.

"Right, right." Steve said nodding and motioned for the ladies to go ahead.

The group made their way up to the tarmac and excited out into the night, making their way to the prepped quinjet. They entered, and Jamie instantly saw the sniper rifle resting on one of the seats. She went to it and picked it up.

Jamie hummed in appreciation as she examined the weapon in her hands. It was a little heavier than what she was used to, but it wasn't far off. Overall, it was a fine piece of equipment. "Well, I'll give SHIELD this," she muttered, turning the gun in her hands. "SHIELD has nice toys."

"We can both agree on that," Romanoff agreed with a small smirk on her lips. "Okay, so here's the play," Agent Romanoff started from the pilot's seat. "We're dropping Captain Rogers and Private Roe off three blocks away from Loki's location. Private Roe will pick her location to set up and keep an eye on the situation, while Captain Rogers makes his way and confronts Loki."

"Sounds like a good enough plan, I suppose," Steve said.

Jamie's only response was a "Yes Ma'am," she for went back to looking at the weapon in her hand. It had been a while since she had one in her paws. She knew she'd be as sharp as ever though. She had to be. Jamie just had to remember the saying they taught her in training. "Aim small, miss small." If she remembered that, she'd be fine.

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at the drop off point. Jamie and Steve exited the quinjet. Jamie sling the gun over her good shoulder and turned to look at Steve as they quinjet left them to go to a more secure location to wait for their queue.

"Be careful with him, okay?" Jamie asked simply. "Can't have you dying on us right after you got back among the living, now can we?"

"I could say the same to you," he said. "Be careful, Jamie."

"I will," she said.

Jamie ended up settling on the rooftop right across the street from the building Loki was located. She settled down quickly, her bare arms resting against the cold, wet rooftop of the building she was laying flat on her stomach on. She calibrated the scope, looking through it at the crowd of rushing people below. Loki slowly stalked out of the building, his outfit magically changing around him, which kind of weirded Jamie out if anybody asked her.

Jamie hadn't known what to expect when she would first lay eyes on Loki. She didn't know much about Norse mythology, more so greek than anything, but anybody that had a myth after then had to be impressive, so when she saw him and was slightly disappointed at the rather skinny, long black haired, blue eyed, pale man. She had pictured someone much more... _buff_.

"I have eyes on the target," Jamie muttered smoothly and evenly, knowing that Agent Romanoff would hear her through the comm. in her ear.

Several other figures of Loki appeared around the rushing group of civilians, trapping them in the plaza right outside the building. They all looked so terrified.

"Kneel before me!" Loki demanded. "I said," he lifted his scepter and then hit the butt against the ground screamed, " _kneel_!" The crowd quieted and slowly went down to their knees in complete and utter terror.

"I have a clear shot on the target, do you copy?" she asked the plane.

" _Hold fire,"_ Romanoff answered in her ear.

Loki seemed very satisfied with the compliance of the crowd.

"Is not this simpler?" he asked, his foreign accent very distinguishable. If Jamie wasn't so disgusted by the alien, she would have found the accent quite pleasing to listen to. Loki was on the move again, and Jamie had to shift slightly to follow him as he slowly walked among the crowd. "Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you _crave_ subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled, in the end you will always kneel."

"I repeat," Jamie muttered. "I have the shot."

" _Hold your fire,"_ Romanoff repeated in her ear.

 _I'm really starting to not like you, Romanoff,_ Jamie thought. If Jamie held off any long, people were going to get hurt, she knew that. But what else could she do? She was under SHIELD command. She was out of her country, not enlisted under the military. If she went against orders, she'd be screwed. She had to listen no matter how much she didn't want to.

An older gentleman stood up, a look of defiance in his aged eyes. Jamie internally swore. She knew something like this would happen. She should have taken the shot when she had the chance.

"Not to men like you," the older gentleman said.

"There are no men like me," Loki protested.

"There are always men like you."

Loki definitely wouldn't like that. "Look to your elder, people..." He raised the scepter and pointed it towards the elderly man, the blue gem's glow intensified and it got ready to fire.

"I _have_ the shot," Jamie hissed into her earpiece.

"Let him be an example."

" _I'm not going to tell you again, Private!"_

Jamie had to fight back a growl of frustration as Loki shot a blue ball of energy to the man. Fortunately, Steve finally made his appearance, jumping in front of the man with his shield blocking the attack. The shot was reflected back to Loki, who was knocked off his feet as a result.

 _Serves you right_ , she thought.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany," Steve started, making his way towards Loki as he spoke, "and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier," Loki hissed. He laughed as he slowly stood up with assistance from his scepter. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time," Steve retorted.

Romanoff flew in with the quinjet, hovering above the street with the weapons pointed towards Loki. Natasha turned on the speaker and said, "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki wasn't very cooperative. Hw shot out again, this time at the quinjet. They barely managed to swerve away from the blast. As a response, Steve threw his shield at Loki. It forced him to step back as the shield bounced back to the owner. Cap moved in quickly, punching Loki in the face, but the suck punch didn't seem to affect him one bit.

It just made Loki look even more pissed off. Her raised the scepter and swung it out at Steve, but he managed to block it with a clang of his shield. Loki made a swift move and knocked the shielded arm away from Steve, leaving his front vulnerable. Loki hit him in the chest, sending him backward.

Steve rolled to his knees, his eyes instantly making their way back to Loki. He threw the shield again, but Loki knocked it several feet away. Steve was left to fight hand-to-hand with Loki. He charged forward, throwing a punch which Loki dodged. Loki swung the scepter out, but Steve bent backward to avoid it. Loki swung out again, but Steve, once again, dodged. The scepter smashed against the cobblestone ground. This left his right side open and vulnerable, to which Steve took advantage of. He jabbed Loki in the ribs.

Loki had an advantage though. With the way that his scepter was, he could easily turn and smack Steve with it. And that was exactly what the Asgardian did. Steve went flying again, this time taking longer to recover as he hit the ground hard.

"I still have the shot," Jamie informed her eyes in the sky.

" _Take it,"_ Romanoff ordered.

Jamie's finger squeezed the trigger as Loki started to make his way towards Steve, the tranquilizing bullet lodging itself into his shoulder, between the junction on his armor. Instead of going down like any regular person, though, Loki growled and turned around, shooting a blast in Jamie's direction.

The brunette barely had enough time to sit back to see the blue light heading towards her. She instinctively put on of her right hand up to shield herself. What happened after that was not expected at all. The blue energy from the scepter made contact with her hand, and instead of blowing her to bits like it should have done, was absorber into her hand.

The second the energy went into her hand, immense pain shot through her hand, between her fingers, up to her wrist and heading up to her arm with no indication that it would stop at her shoulder. Jamie fell backwards with a cry of pain. Her left hand gripped the other arm, as if somehow that would make the pain stop.

" _Private Roe, do you copy?"_

Jamie rolled to her side, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Her face grew red. She tried to steady her breathing as she looked down at her hand and her arm, but the shock of what she saw did not help one bit. The skin on her hand and her arms, as the pain shot up in waves to her shoulder, was turning her skin a sickly ash gray, while her veins bulged and turned a deep purple, almost black. Outside of her arm was the outer glow of the blue energy. Whatever kind of energy the scepter had shot at her was reacting with the energy inside of her, and it wasn't reacting well.

She needed to try and get the energy out of her arm. With a very shaky arm, Jamie lifted it with the help of the other and pointed her hand across to the other side of the rooftop and tried to focus her own energy through her hand and to her arm. Trying to do so was like trying to walk on her hands with a broken arm though. The pain caused her to scream out in pain again. Somehow though, Jamie managed to get it out, and then she collapsed on the rooftop in exclusion and in pain.

" _Jamie, do you copy?"_ Romanoff asked again.

Jamie panted, looking down at her arm again. The color was pale, but it wasn't gray, so that was something. Her hand and arm were still incredibly shaky and twitchy, and it hurt immensely when she tried to move it, but she could, and that was really all that mattered.

"Private Roe," Jamie said, "I...I copy."

" _Loki has been apprehended. Report down back to the quinjet."_

"R-Roger that," she answered, groaning as she pushed herself to her feet. Dismantling the sniper rifle was rather difficult with only one arm, but she managed to do it before making her way off the rooftop, through the building and down into the plaza below.

Jamie griddled her arm as she made her way up to Steve and Iron Man, who was a new arrival. He had to have gotten there when Jamie was freaking out from the pain in her arm.

"Jamie, are you okay?" Steve asked taking a step closer to her.

"Yeah," she mumbled, her voice hoarse. "Mr. Stark," she greeted with a nod.

"Hey, Jamie, how you doing? We never did lunch." Tony said as if offended still.

"That's because I never gave Pepper my number," she muttered.

"Okay ouch," Tony said putting an armored hand on his chest plate. "Very offensive."  
"You're dating Pepper, Mr. Stark," Jamie said. "I'm not interested in breaking that apart."

"It wasn't a date, it was lunch! Pepper knows that that hse is the only woman for me and for you to assume I'd cheat on her is very small minded of you."

"Good, but then why would I want to go to lunch with you?" she shot, entering the quinjet with the men following behind her.

"Because I liked you and wanted to see if you wanted to work for me. I like backbone. But no, I'm a bad guy. Like the worst guy to ever walk the earth." Tony huffed.

"Iron Man doesn't need a bodyguard, or a security officer," Jamie pointed out.

"But Pepper does." Tony pointed out. "She doesn't have a suit, and I happen to love my girlfriend and want her safe thank you very much."

"You don't even know my qualifications," Jamie scoffed.

"It's called the internet," Tony said as if it were obvious. "And I invited Johnny and the rest of the team and of course I take notice of their company. Like a good businessman. Thus of course I came across your qualifications. Besides, background checks are performed on anyone walking through the door...some of my parties get crashed by a few party animals too hard core for even my taste. Terrorists, I mean terrorists."

"So what did my background check tell you, Mr. Stark?" Jamie asked, slowly sitting down in the row of seats across from where Loki was being held.

"You have the most kills for any female sniper, and you're in the top ten of all snipers in the US. Two completed tours. Then there was that whole, dying debacle." Tony waved her off. "You look pretty good for a dead girl, Sparky."

Jamie chuckled humorlessly. "Thanks, I really appreciate that, Mr. Stark," she muttered sarcastically.

"So, how did you two meet?" Steve asked slowly, confused.

"Do you remember that date I went on I told you about?" Jamie asked. "The one at that fundraiser I was very out of place at?"

"Yeah, the one with Johnny Storm?" Steve asked.

"Yup, the very one," she said. "I met Pepper and Mr. Stark there."

"Ah, that makes sense." Steve nodded.

"Hand on, folks," Romanoff said from the pilot seat. "We're about to take off."

The group quieted down shortly after that as the quinjet took off. Romanoff was the only one to speak for quite a while, as she was reporting in to Director Fury.

"I don't like it," Steve said. He was referring to Loki this time, not about Private Rogers.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony asked.

"I don't remember it being ever that easy," Steve said.

 _It's never that easy,_ Jamie thought, her eyes narrowing as she sat on the opposite side of the quinjet from Lokie. He was watching them converse quietly, almost amused by their behavior. His eyes would land on Jamie every so often, a smirk would them grace his lips, as if knowing something she didn't. And of course he did, Jamie knew that. The whole thing just seemed completely off to her. But she didn't know what was going on.

"This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow," Tony said. "What's your thing, Pilates?"

"What?" Steve asked, having no clue what he was talking about.

"It's like calisthenics," Tony began to explain. "You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

Steve could be seen looking at him rather annoyed. Steve deserved Tony's respect. He had given his life for them when he fought in WWII. He hadn't done anything to make Tony disrespect him like that. Jamie had dealt with him before, but that was in a much more relaxed setting. Perhaps he was just rude to everybody. So then how could Pepper possibly be with im if he was always such an ass? Pepper was a smart woman. She wouldn't deal with someone if they didn't actually have a good heart.

"That was uncalled for," Jamie spoke up.

Steve just ignored it and said, "Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in."

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you," Tony said.

Jamie scoffed from her seat. She may not have approved of how Tony had been treating Steve, but he certainly did have a point there. She was almost absolutely positive that Steve and Natasha and Tony had no idea that she was their contingency plan;that if they failed, she was their last resort. And from how she reacted when the energy from Loki's staff was absorbed into her hand and arm, the Tesseract was going to kill her for sure.

Lightning suddenly beamed across the sky, lighting the night up slightly. Jamie glanced up at the roof nervously. She had never been in a plane when it was thundering and lightning outside, let alone something as small as a quinjet. It made her a little nervous. Though, once back at the helicarrier, she would have loved to watch the storm from the bridge and those magnificent windows.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha asked, also looking up at the sky from the window.

"What's the matter?" Steve asked Loki. She turned her attention to their prisoner in the back to see that he was sitting forward slightly with a worried look on his face. "Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki answered.

Jamie looked at him cautiously. A god was scared of a little thunder? She found that quite odd, seeing as thunder wasn't the dangerous part of the storm. It was the lightning. Though, children were more scared of the loud noise than the flash itself. Perhaps Loki was just one giant man-child and had the same fears as one, just with the insane tendencies of a serial killer.

The jet shook and a loud noise came from the top of the craft. It sounded as if someone landed on top of it. Tony quickly grabbed his helmet and put it one while Steve put on his mask. Tony pressed a button on the control panel, opening the back hatch of the jet, creating a large gust inside the craft. Jamie got up from her seat, but hand to grab onto the ceiling above her to prevent herself from toppling over from the gust inside.

"What are you doing?" Steve yelled at the Iron Man.

Tony walked towards the back of the craft as a figure landed in the opening with a thud. The man, or god, had long blonde hair and scruff on his face. He was wearing silver armor on his chest, and plating on his arms. A red cape flew behind him in the wind current from the open hatch. Most of his outfit revolved around the colors blue and red. In his right had was a rather large mallet.

"Who the _hell_ are you?" Jamie asked.

As Tony approached him, Thor hit him with it, sending the Iron Man backwards into Steve and Jamie, the female being on the bottom of the pile-up. The wind was knocked out of her. Before she could even get air into her lungs, Tony pushed off of the human pile ae.

Loki took his brother, breaking her seat belt and flew out of the ship. Tony got up as quickly as he could and walked to the exit as he muttered; "Now there's that guy."

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked, trying to look back at them from her seat.

"That guy's a friendly?" Steve asked, as he helped Jamie back up to her feet, checking her over very briefly for any injuries from the fall.

"Doesn't matter," Tony replied. "If that guy frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

Steve yelled, "Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan; _attack_ ," Tony called back before jumping out the back of the ship.

Steve didn't seem pleased when he heard that. He ran over to the side of the plain and grabbed a parachute. He started to strap it on as Natasha called back to him, "I'd sit this one out, Cap."

"I don't see how I can," he said.

"These guys come from legend. They're basically gods," Natasha said.

"There's only one god, Ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that," Steve replied.

"Captain!" Jamie called. He turned and looked at her. "Be careful, okay? We'll be down to retrieve you guys as soon as we can."

Steve smirked at her, gave her a lazy salute before turning around and running out the back of the quinjet.

" _Men_ ," Romanoff grumbled quietly from her seat.

Jamie just chuckled,making her way to stand behind her chair,holding onto the chair and ceiling so she wouldn't topple over again. "You can say that again."

* * *

 **Hey guys. I know I said that I'll be posting once I get some reviews, but for the next couple of days it may be a little hard. My uncle passed away Thursday night so we have the calling hours and funeral, plus my school stuff and work, etc. I still have another two chapter finished, and another partially written, but I don't know when I'll really get to finishing that one. Anyway, hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think.**

Thanks to the following for their reviews in the previous chapter(s):

 _ **ToFallUponTheNight** _ \- Oh, I hate it when Fury is the bad guy too! I know that's a little weird to hear when I say it seeing as what was in the last chapter, but I can assure you (spoiler) that Jamie does make up with him in a way in the next chapter. Jamie would have been upset with anybody that told her she couldn't be updated on Cerberus,even Phil. I hope that makes you feel a little better!

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- Uh would it possibly be Tony? ;) (Now watch me get that wrong. That always happens to me. It's hilarious and really embarrassing all at the same time). I eel the same way with getting to know characters. The more you know the more invested you feel in the story. You feel more connected to them, like they're actual people. And Phil is amazing...I can't wait for some of the stuff I have planned later in the story. Oh, and I hope you found the Tony scene okay. There'll be more Tony coming up, but not as much as you'd probably like. Jamie'd get to know him a lot more later on, post Avengers.

 _ **Trisscar95** _ \- Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you love the story! I often find myself that excited for updated with curtain stories, and I'm honored that mine is one for you! You are very welcome for writing, and thank YOU so much for reviewing.

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- I hope you do live the reveal, I'm not feeling too hot about it. I've written it,and I've read it over and over again, and I'm not too sure how to make it different. Originally I didn't plan on doing it the way I am, but I like this way better, but still not as secure in it as I wish I were...Anyway, you don't really need to know that! And I really try to stick as close to the series as I can, so much so that I really hate to change any form of dialog or actions...(spoiler) like some things in Winter Soldier, for example. But that's all I'm gonna say on that. Can't reveal too much, can I?

 _ **shika93** _ \- Steve is adorable. I almost can't take it!

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- God, Tom Hiddleston is a god, I swear! Lol, that's okay, you're not supposed to really always remember Aaron; he's gone, after all. But it is still important to Jamie, just as stated in the chapter. And Yeah, I believe Steve is one of the best people to help Jamie. Just like how Phil's conversation kind of snapped something into her as well. And no, but you're close on the whole Cerberus thing. In Agents of SHIELD, the group is Centipede, not Cerberus. But they are similar in name and in their actions. And trust me, both reappear (or make their debut) in the story. I hope you found the interaction with Tony okay. I was a little unsure aboutthat as well.

 _ **PokeFace1213** _ \- Steve and Phil are really cute. I love them so! Hope you liked her small meeting with Natasha. There will be more interacting between them in the future. But yes, we need more kick ass women in the world!

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- I agree,it doesn't hurt. I'm just really into this story right now so I want to post as quickly as I can to hear what people think.I really shouldn't do it as quickly though. It will be interesting to show more of how they work together, and I hope you liked this. It's not _exactly_ together, not like while in New York, but its a little something. More so Nat and her talking than anything. Loki and Jamie will be interacting a bit soon. And it's a good thing to get excited about upcoming things.


	15. Final Arrangements

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Marvel, the Avengers or the Fantastic 4. Just Jamie and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 15  
Final Arrangements

Jamie sat in one of the relatively comfortable chairs at the glass conference table on the bridge, clutching her sore and tingling arm. Her attention wasn't on her odd feeling extremity though, instead she was staring down at table, where a video feed was playing of Fury interrogating Loki.

" _In case it's unclear, if you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass," he pressed a button on the panel he was at and the metal iris panels around the chamber, "it's a thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He motioned to the cage and then the machine as he said, "Ant, boot."_

 _Loki laughed. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me," Loki deduced._

" _Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury admitted._

" _Oh, I've heard," Loki said, looked at the security camera. It seemed as if he was looking right at them._

Jamie shivered, she knew very well that he knew all of them were watching what was going on. He wanted them to know that he was still confident, and that he believed he was still in control. And to Jamie, something did seem very off. Steve had a point earlier when he was Loki went down a little too easily. He was planning something, she just couldn't figure out what exactly that was. And that was a major problem.

" _The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"_

" _How desperate am I?" Fury asked angrily. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."_

" _Oh, it burns you to have come so close," Loki said. "It have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?" He looked at the camera once again. "A warm light for all mankind to share." He looked back at Fury and continued, "And then to be reminded what real power is."_

 _Fury just turned and started to walk away as he said, "Well, let me know if "real power" wants a magazine or something."_

The feed was broken off as Loki looked up at the camera. He knew they were all watching it. It was weird how he knew such things and Jamie didn't like it. She didn't like him, obviously. He was a murderer and was insane and, as Fury put it: "kills 'cause it's fun.",

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner said sarcastically.

Jamie would have smirked if she wasn't so unnerved by everything that was going on. With the way thing were going, Jamie was going to end up having to go through with the contingency. She was going to die because this Asgardian wanted to take over the world, and the world's best agency couldn't stop it.

"Loki's going to drag this out," Steve said, getting straight down to business. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

Without looking at any of them, he started to say, "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known." He turned to look at them as he continued. "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army," Steve said in disbelief, "from outer space."

"What the hell did I get myself into?" Jamie asked herself. Terrorists and war was one thing, but alien and other worlds were completely out of her ballpark. She was a good soldier that could adapt to her surroundings and situation, but she had no idea what the hell to do with this situation.

"So, he's building another portal," Banner figured out. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor asked.

"He's an astrophysicist," Bruce informed him.

"He's a friend," Thor informed them.

"Loki has him under some sort of spell," Natasha told Thor. "Along with one of ours."

Jamie was assuming Natasha was talking about Barton, the person she was supposed to be filling in for. From the sound of it, the two of them were close. Jamie could relate to her, she supposed. Perhaps that was why she was acting the way she was. Or not, she didn't know. She had only just met Natasha that day.

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here," Steve said.

"I've been wondering the same thing," Jamie added.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," Banner corrected. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell _crazy_ on him."

"Have a care how you speak!" Thor scolded. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother!"

"He killed eighty people in two days," Natasha informed him.

He hesitated before saying, "He's adopted."

"I think it's about the mechanics," Banner said. "Iridium, what do they need the iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony said as he walked into the room with Phil. He muttered something to Phil before turning back to the rest of the group. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." He walked over to them and as he passed Thor, he patted him on the arm with the back of his hand and said, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing."

He continued walking to where Fury usually stood, the controls and said, "Also means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants." He looked at the control monitors to his right and then the ones on his left. He muttered something incoherently that got the attention of some of the agents near him before yelling out, "The man is play Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He covered one of his eyes and looked oddly at the monitors to his left. "How does Fury even see these?"

A brunette hovering around the group looked at Stark and answered, "He turns."

"Sounds exhausting," Tony stated. He started to look at the content on the machines as he continued to speak. "The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" the mysterious brunette asked.

"Last night," Stark retorted. "The packet, Selvig's notes. The extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" He made his way back up to where they were standing.

Jamie rolled her eyes. _Fury neglected to tell me who the enemy was at first, how the hell was I supposed to know there was homework?_

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner explained.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Tony said.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet," Bruce stated.

"Finally! Someone speaks English!" Tony said, sounding rather relieved.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked.

"Sounded more like _Gibberish_ to me," Jamie said, leaning over to Steve so only he could hear her comment. He just smirk at her in reply.

Bruce and Stark both shook hands. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

 _Well, that's one way to look at it,_ Jamie thought in reference to the Hulk. Coulson had informed her of what Banner had been talking about when he was referring to the "other guy." She supposed she had the better end of the deal with her gamma exposure than he did.

Banner looked rather uncomfortable with the last part. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube," Fury said, joining the group as well. "I was hoping you might join him."

"I'd start with that stick of his," Steve said. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube and I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest minds I know into his personal flying monkeys," Fury said.

"Monkeys, I do not understand," Thor stated.

"I do!" Steve yelled. "I-I understood that reference."

Jamie laughed, unable to stop herself. She was the only one to make a noise after Steve's comment, everybody else didn't know how to react. It was an odd situation, that was for sure. Was it okay to find the man out of time's comment funny? Or were they supposed to sympathize with him. Jamie couldn't help but be amused and entertained by Steve. She never meant any of it to be rude, and she thought he understood that.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Stark asked Bruce.

"This way, Sir," Bruce said, leading Stark away from the bridge.

"Private Roe," Coulson said. He walked up from behind Jamie and motioned for her to follow. "I will escort you to the medical bay."

"Thanks Phil," she murmured.

* * *

"What did you do to yourself this time, child?" Amir asked the girl as she sat down on the bed. He walked over to her, his medical kit in hand.

"I didn't really know," Jamie said. "The, uh, energy from Loki's staff got absorbed. It was the freakiest thing I've ever seen. My skin turned gray, veins went black. It was like it was all dying and rotting. And then when I released it, it went back to this."

"Would it be possible for you to use it?" he asked. "I need to check your vitals with it."

Jamie raised her hand and tried to force the energy to her hand and arm, but nothing came. "I don't get it," Jamie muttered, flexing her fingers with a grimace on her face. "I mean, I get that the energies aren't compatible, but why isn't it working?"

"You are familiar with the sensation of when an extremity loose blood circulation, and it gets that feeling of "falling asleep," yes?" Amir asked. "I believe, or theorize, that this is very similar to that. When you absorbed the energy from that staff and then released it, you released all energy, the staff's, your contaminated energy. So it will take a little time before you build up enough for it to be considered normal once more. But I do believe it should be fine."

"Yeah, but the next time it happens I won't be," Jamie muttered.

"What are you talking about, Jamie?" he asked.

"I've got a bad feeling, Amir," Jamie said, pushing off the bed. "Things aren't going to end well in this war, and when the time comes for the contingency, I'm not going to make it. I mean," she paused, looking down to her hand, "the pain from just my arm was unbearable. The Cube itself will be a lot stronger than just a blast. If that gets to my heart, I don't think I'm gonna make it."

"You cannot think like that, child," Amir said. "You have to believe you will be all right."

Jamie shook her head. "No, I've gotta be realistic here, Amir. I'm gonna die," she said. She cleared her throat, turning away from him. "Uh, I've gotta go update Director Fury on this."

"Jamie, _please…_ "

Jamie shook her head. She had to leave Amir, because if she didn't, she knew she'd regret going along with the plan. She needed to do this. People's lives depended on it. She couldn't have Amir making her feel as if she had something to look forward to, because if she did, then it would be that much harder for her to make that call, to go along with the plan when the time came. "I'll, uh, talk to you later, Amir."

* * *

Jamie's favorite spot wasn't the place where she was most alone. Would would have liked it if it were, but she would take what she could get. No, Jamie's favorite place on the helicarrier was behind on of the support pillars on the bridge, right after one of the staircases from the upper level to the bottom level. She would wedge herself there, her eyes fixated outside at the night sky.

"You asked to speak to me," Fury said from beside the support.

"I did," Jamie said, not taking her eyes off of the view.

"Care to elaborate as to why?" he pressed after she didn't go on.

Jamie sighed, her head falling backward to rest against the support behind her. "You know, the others used to call me their Solace when we were in captivity," she stated. "They said I kept them going. Gave them hope, especially after I got these abilities."

"I am aware," Fury said.

"I liked being that for them," she said. "Just because I didn't have one didn't mean they shouldn't. Anything to do to make them feel better. I mean, they deserved it. Whatever hope they could get in a place like that they should hold on to. I couldn't take that away from them."

"And you didn't," Fury said. "You got them out of there, Private. You did your job and then some."

"This war we're fighting," Jamie said, going back to something a little more relevant. "You and I both know it's not going to go the way we think. We're going to have to enact the contingency plan."

"We don't kn-"

"Yes we do," Jamie sighed. "And I got some more information on the compatibility of the energies that I thought you'd want to know."

"Well, go on. What is it?"

"It's no," she stated simply and straightforward. "I got hit with the stuff powering Loki's scepter. And it didn't end well. I'm going to die if I try and stop the Tesseract."

"Are you telling me you've changed your mind, Private?" Fury asked.

"No," she said. "No, I'm still gonna do it. It's just…" she sighed and finally looked at Fury. She gulped before continuing. "I wanna be buried with my family."

"That can be arranged," he said gentler.

"And my estate's gotta be divided among Amir's daughter, James's son's, and Aaron's brother Andy," Jamie went on. "I want them to have it."

"We can do that," he told her. "You're Catholic, right?" Fury asked. "Would you like a funeral mass?"

"It would be nice, but it's not necessary," she said.

"We'll arrange it then," he told her. "Anything else, Private? Anything I can do for you?"

"Promise me you'll take down Cerberus," Jamie said desperately. "Don't let them get away with killing so many people. Don't let them do it again."

"I promise you, Jamie," Fury said. And from the look in his eye, Jamie could tell he was telling her the truth. "We'll find them."

"Thank you," she said.

Fury left her be after that. Jamie still wasn't his biggest fan, but he wasn't as horrible as she wanted to believe him to be. He was doing this job for a reason, after all. To protect. That wasn't always an easy thing, and he had built himself up the way he was because of the struggles their work and job threw at them. She couldn't' blame him for that. And she _wouldn't_ blame him for the.

"As soon as Loki took the Doctor we moved Jane Foster," Jamie heard Coulson say from the computers to her left. "They've got an excellent observatory in Tromso. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

"Thank you," Jamie heard Thor reply. "It's no accident, Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot," Coulson said. "You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"They were better as they were," Thor responded. "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we come here battling like bilge snipe."

 _What the hell's a bilge snipe?_ Jamie thought.

"Like what?" Coulson asked.

 _Well, at least I'm not the only one that doesn't know what that is,_ she thought.

"Bilgesnipe," Thor repeated. "You know, huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't have those?"

"I don't think so," Coulson answered.

"Well, that are repulsive," Thor explained. "And they trample everything in their path."

Jamie looked to her left to see Thor standing beside her, looking out the window as well. He nodded towards her in acknowledgement before continuing to address his conversation with Culson. "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth, I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet," Fury interrupted. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know," Thor answered honestly. "Loki's mind if far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance, upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that until the pain starts," Fury said.

"What are you asking me to do?" Thor asked.

"I'm asking, what are you _prepared_ to do?" he asked.

"Loki is a prisoner," Thor stated.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that _wants_ to be here," Fury said.

"We don't know his plan," Jamie spoke up. "Chances are, he very well _does_ want to be here."

"What leads you to believe that?" Coulson asked.

"I've gotta agree with Steve here," she said. "Loki came in relatively easily. For someone with Asgardians abilities would have been a lot harder to bring down. Nothing about this is right."

"You were present when my brother was brought in?" Thor asked.

"Yes," she answered. "He shot at me with his glow stick of doom."

"I apologize," he said. "You look as if you have been in combat."

"Hazards of the job," she said, leaving out the fact that she was a security guard and not a member of SHIELD. Fury turned away from the group, drawing Jamie's blue eyes with him as he listened to whoever was talking to him in his comm. link. "I'm okay."

"Roger that, Romanoff," Fury said. "Thor, Roe, come with me. We believe Loki plans on getting Dr. Banner to join the party as the Hulk."

Jamie jumped down from her resting place and followed Fury with Thor right behind her. All she could think was, _And now everything hits the fan_.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the lovely reviews and best wishes in hard times. Things are all good. Anyway, the moment so many have been waiting for is in the next chapter. That's all I'm going to say with that though. Oh, and I'll most likely be updating on Sunday every week to try and regulate everything. Though if there's a cliffhanger and everybody's freaking out I'll most likely update sooner than that.** **Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Please review.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 ** _Jesla777_** \- Yeah, I guess you could kind of say it's what happened to Skye, though she doesn't end up getting stuck in rock for several moments. It more or less looks like her skin starts to die and deteriorate.

 _ **CupcakeLoopy** _ \- I know that I do, but that you for pointing that out. I will go back and fix them. No matter how many times I read it over I miss a few. I don't like using betas because of how long it takes I would prefer to get the chapter out for people to enjoy. If a couple spelling errors puts someone off that much then they don't have to read it. And English is my first language, but I am dyslexic. Writing and editing my own work helps me improve on what I'm not good at.

 _ **AvengersPrincess15** _ \- I'm so glad you like the story! And thank you for the compliment in the writing and description. I really needed to hear that, so thank you very much! I hope you liked this chapter as much as what you've already read!

 ** _Knighthawk993_ ** \- Oh good, I'm glad Tony's scene seemed like it fit. And yes, the sensation is a lot like pins and needles on steroids! Thank you for that, it's like the perfect description for that. Though its extremely painful.

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ \- I've finally come to the conclusion that Sundays shall be my updating days, unless I'm too excited for something and everybody really wants an update, like there's a cliffhanger or something. But for the most part, Sundays shall be my updating days. And I had originally not planned on Jamie not interacting with Loki as much as I'm ending up doing. She will be speaking to him one on one, which I hadn't planned. But I do like this way a lot better. I'm glad you liked the uniform scene. It just shows the old fashioned part of Steve with Jamie's modern self.

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- Oooooh, then I have totally succeeded. You seeing the movie in your head with my character in it is exactly what I aim for and I'm so happy to hear that. I really NEEDED to hear that. Hey, go off on as many tangents as you want. I love reading them and I often do it myself. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **RainForrest** _ \- Thank you so much for your review and your thoughts. I hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **Guest** _ \- Oh, I'm so glad that you love the story. I'll try my best not to disappoint. I hope you liked the chapter!


	16. Not As Planned

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, the Fantastic 4 or anything. Just Jameson and her fellow OC's**

* * *

Chapter 16  
Not As Planned

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury asked the moment he entered through the door of the lab Tony and Bruce had been working in. Jamie followed in right behind Fury, Thor had stayed behind to meet up with Natasha to hear from herself what Loki had said to her.

"Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Stark stated.

He was sitting on top of one of the work tables with the scepter right behind him. Bruce was standing beside him, looking over his shoulder at the monitor hanging down the the ceiling placed in front of them.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury pointed out.

"We are," Bruce corrected him. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"Yeah, then you get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss," Tony muttered. There was a beep on the monitor before him, and Jamie from the other side, could see a read box pop up. "What _is_ Phase Two?"

Jamie heard footsteps behind her. She turned back to see Steve strut in with a massive gun in his hands. Her eyes bulged as she watched him drop it on the metal table in the center of the room.

"Phase Two is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons," Steve answered. "Sorry," he said, looking directly at Tony, "computer was working a little slow for me."

"Holy fu-" Jamie started to say, but caught herself before she finished, "-dge. That's a _big_ gun."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," Fury tried to justify.

 _Wait, that's what they wanted to test on me?_ she thought, quickly looking for the gun to Fury. _That thing is fucking massive! I would've never lived through that!_

"This does not mean that we're making…"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Stark interrupted, turning the monitor around for them to see it the right way instead of backwards. "What were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director," Steve said. "The world hasn't changed a bit."

"Is that what you're going to apply the information I gave you to?" Jamie asked without thinking. The was too frustrated to really care. "Or were you going to apply it to people like Cerberus?"

"Don't be _ridiculous_ , Roe," Fury said.

"Ridiculous? _Ridiculous_ is the thought that somebody would do it in the _first_ place! _Realistic_ is knowing that somebody else cruel enough would be willing to try and recreated it, perfect it!" Jamie snapped.

Natasha and Thor made their entrance right then, right into the middle of the spat going on among the five other individuals.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" Romanoff asked.

Bruce laughed humorlessly before saying, "I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki is manipulating you," she stated, trying to get him to believe her.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?" Bruce retorted.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha stated.

"Like getting an ultimatum is much better?" Jamie scoffed.

"Yes," Bruce said, pointing his folded glasses at Jamie to agree with her point. "And I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little _twitchy_. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Fury said, pointing to Thor without even looking so much in his direction.

"Me?" Thor asked in shock and confusion.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town," Fury explained. "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor stated.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury asked. " _And_ you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched," he glanced at Jamie, who in turn glared at him, and then moved on to Stark as he finished, "that can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the Cube?" Steve retorted.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor explained. "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve asked.

"How much higher can it get?" Jamie asked. She had already been actured and tested on to create a perfect weapon. What else could there possibly be?

"You forced our hand," Fury pressed. "We had to come up with something…"

"A nuclear deterrent," Stark finished. "'Cause that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark," Fury asked.

"He knows better than most then," Jamie pointed out, going to Stark in defense. She had used Stark weapons before while out in the field, before he stopped making them. She knew for a fact he knew exactly what his weapons did, that was why he stopped, after all.

"And I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep…" Steve started to add.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on. How is this now about me?" Tony asked in his own defense.

"I'm sorry," Steve said. "Isn't everything?"

Jamie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. This was getting out of hand. They had originally gone there to tell them what they had found out from Loki, not to start a verbal war amongst one another. "We're getting off track, guys," Jamie pointed out.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor scoffed.

"Excuse me, did we come to _your_ planet and blow stuff up?" Fury retorted.

"You treat your champions with such mistrust!" Thor shot back.

"You're not my champion!" Fury stated.

There were far too many conversations going on around Jamie. Trying to follow all of them at once was giving her a headache and frustrating her. Her took in a deep breath, feeling the energy inside her moving faster as her blood pressure rose. She flexed her fists, trying desperately to calm herself down. The last thing any of them needed was for her to start shining blue, directing everything to her.

Though, maybe if she did everybody would stop fighting and they could get back on track.

Everybody had their own good points, and they were entitled to them, but they _were_ supposed to be working together, as a team, to stop Loki and protect their world from an incoming invasion! How are they supposed to do that if they didn't put their individual opinions aside and work together for the common cause?

"You understand this is a team, right?" Steve asked Tony.

"What is it about me that bothers you so much? I'm curious," Tony asked.

"Don't you guy's get it!" Jamie tried to yell. "This is _exactly_ what Loki wants from us! He _wants_ to pit us together to break us apart! _Divide and conquer_! So would you all just _shut up_!"

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha asked. "SHIELD monitors potential threats."

"Captain America is on a threat watch?" Bruce asked.

"That's not your concern, Doctor," Fury said.

"We _all_ are," she answered.

"Wait, you're on that list?" Stark laughed, looking at Steve. "Are you above or below angry bees?" Tony asked.

"Stark, so help me _God_ , if you make one more wisecrack…" Steve threatened.

"Threat! Verbal threat! I feel threatened!" Tony said, poking the bear with the stick.

"Show some respect," Steve said.

"Respect _what_?" Tony scoffed.

"Could everyone just shut their _fu-_ " Jamie started to get out, but was spoken over by Thor.

"Wait, if we're all on there, why is _Jamie_ there?" Banner asked. "It has to have something to do with her gamma reading, right?"

"That's none of your concern, Dr. Banner," Fury stated.

"Oh, I think it _is_ his business, and ours," Stark added, making his way back to the computer. "If we're supposed to work with her, then we have the right to know!"

"You want to know why I'm on that list?" Jamie snapped. "You really wanna know?" She raised her left hand, palm facing Tony's face. The energy circulating inside admitted the blue outer glow, drawing everybody's eyes there. "When I was being held in captivity in Qatar, I was a fucking lab experiment! Happy now?" she finished.

Tony reached out and grabbed Jamie's hand inspecting it. He turned it every which way he could before Jamie pulled back. She wasn't something to be studies! She wasn't a fascinating object with mystical abilities. She as a human being with freakshow abilities.

"So that's the why you have the gamma signature," Bruce thought, looking at her now relatively normal looking hand.

"Jamie?" Steve asked, trying to get her to look at him.

Jamie's didn't move, her focus was more so on the floor than it wasnt on anything else. She had fought so long to keep her secret a secret, and now she just openly blurted it out because of the chaos of the situation. She was tired of people talking behind her back. She was tired of people wondering what happened to her. And most of all, she was tired of lying and keeping secrets.

"You let this happen to your warrior?" Thor asked.

"We didn't let _anything_ happen," Fury said. "That was done without our knowledge or our control."

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor laughed.

The continuation helped Jamie focus on things other than herself. The arguing was still consistent, and her theory of showing her abilities hadn't worked. She needed to break this up before things escalated, but she didn't know how.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce asked. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that _makes_ chaos. We're a time bomb."

" _You_ need to step away," Fury ordered.

"Why _shouldn't_ the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked.

"You know damn well why, back off!" Steve answered.

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony said.

"No, how about there's no making whatsoever," Jamie muttered, putting herself between Tony and Steve. She cautiously put her hands up to keep the two in place and away from one another. Her efforts were useless though. They still continued on with their argument.

"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor," Steve said, a smirk planted on his lips. He stepped forward, sizing Tony up. "Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony answered.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you," Steve said. "And I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is _yourself_. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over _you_."

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony stated.

Steve smirked, glancing at the rest of the group before turning back to Tony. "Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero. "

"A hero? Like you?" Tony scoffed, pushing Jamie out of the way to move closer to Steve. "You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything _special_ about _you_ came out of a _bottle_."

"Put on the suit," Steve ordered. "Let's go a few rounds."

Jamie pushed between Steve and Tony, facing Steve. She placed her hand on his chest and tried her best to make him step back, to calm himself down. "This is really not what we need right now," Jamie told Steve.

Thor's deep laughter broke the conversation away from the two alpha males. "You people are so petty, and _tiny_ ," Thor laughed, looking down at Jamie and Natasha for that last part.

"Yeah, this is a team," Bruce scoffed.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr, Banner back to his…" Fury started to order.

"Where?" Bruce asked. "You rented my room!"

"The cell was just in case…" Fury started again.

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't. I know. I _tried_!" Bruce finished.

"Oh, Bruce," Jamie sighed.

"I got low," he explained. "I didn't see an end. So I put a bullet in my mouth, and the _other guy_ spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping _other people_. I was _good_. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff?" he asked, reaching back for the scepter without realizing that he was doing it. "You want to know how I stay calm?"

Jamie, along with Natasha and Fury all instinctively reached out for their gun.

"Dr. Banner," Steve said, "put down the scepter."

Bruce looked down, surprised to see that the scepter was in his hand. He glanced back up when the computer that was searching for the Tesseract beeped, indicating that it had found something.

"Got it," Tony said.

Bruce put the scepter down on the table and went over to check it out. "Sorry kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

"You located the tesseract?" Thor asked.

"I could get there faster," Tony stated.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard!" Thor said. "No human is a match for it."

 _No, they're not_ , Jamie thought, glancing down at her arm.

"You're not going alone," Steve told Tony, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving.

"You're gonna stop me?" Tony asked.

"No, he's right, Tony," Jamie said. "It's more logical to to go with someone else."

"Pyt on the suit, let's find out!" Steve said.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Tony shot back.

"Seriously?" Again?" Jamie asked, placing her hands on their chest. "We _really_ don't need this now, guys. Duke it out _after_ the threat is over!"

"Put on the suit!" Steve said, ignoring

"Steve, come on, be reasonable," jamie said. "Thi isn't y-"

Jamie wasn't completely sure what had happened the second it happened, but after the initial shock, she figured out what happened. There was an explosion on the ship, causing the room to be engulfed in flames. The shockwave blew Jamie up and backwards right into the wall and the doorway, landing her halfway into the hallway. Her head took the majority of the impact though, bashing against the metal door frame.

"Put on the suit," Steve instructed.

"Yeah," Tony muttered back.

"Jamie?" she barely heard over the alarms.

Jamie simply hummed, her vision spinning and seeing double. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to make the spinning stop and for her head to stop hurting.

"Jamie! Are you okay?"

Jamie opened her eyes, Steve was bent down in fron to her, his arms grasping onto her forearms. His blue eyes scanned over her for injury, only finding the gash on her head.

If Jamie had been thinking straight, she would have had a whole lot more on her mind than just how much her head hurt, and why she couldn't see straight. She would have wondered why Steve was treating her the same way even after finding out that she was a freak. She would have wondered if he was okay with it, and if he still thought of her as a friend.

But she wasn't wondering that. So all that came out of her mouth was a simple, shaky answer, "Y-Yeah, yeah."

"Jamie, are you okay?" he asked one last time.

"Y-Yeah, go," she told him. "I'm fine."

"Come on, Cap," Tony said.

Steve looked hesitantly from Tony to Jamie before nodding his head. "Go to the Medical bay," he instructed her, before getting up and running off with Tony. Jamie pushed herself up to her feet slowly, almost toppling back down to the floor from her spinning head. But a moment later she was finally able to push forward.

Jamie quickly moved through the hallways, weaving in and out of rushing SHIELD agents all designated with distinct jobs. She didn't have one of those. That was why she was going to make sure that the medical bay was secure.

Inside the comm, link in her hear, Jamie could hear Fury asking around for what was happening. " _Hill!"_ he called.

Jamie heard a click behind her; something sounding a lot like the cocking of a gun. She froze, her hands remaining at her side as she slowly turned her head to see how close the person behind her was. Their mistake was that they were relatively close, so Jamie was able to turn around without the man expecting it. She grabbed his wrists, raising them up and away from being directed at her.

" _External detonation,"_ Hill answered. It was the woman that had been telling off Tony on the Bridge earlier that evening. " _Number three engine is down. Can we get it running? Talk to me,"_ she spoke to someone else, most likely actually present with her.

Jamie smacked the guys hand against one side of the hallway wall. His struggled move dhims back to the center, with the gun now pointed towards the other wall. He backed her up though, grabbing her neck with one hand, while the other still had a hold on the gun. Jamie's right hand went to the guys neck as well, while the other tried to keep the gun away from her person.

Jamie could just make out the other person answering, " _Turbine looks mostly intact, but it's impossible to get out there to make repairs while we're in the air."_

The brunette let out a rather strangled noise as she managed to skip one of her feet between the man's, throwing her wait for that she was swinging him around to the wall, smacking his face against it. They slipped into what looked like the same conference room Jamie had been in that morning with Coulson, Fury and Amir. She grabbed the man's hand and put it in the doorway, while grabbing the door and manually shutting it on his hand to get him to drop the gun.

" _If we lose one more engine, we won't be. Somebody's got to get outside and patch that engine."_

" _Stark, you copy that?"_ Fury asked.

" _I'm on it!"_ he answered.

The attacker dropped the gun, but Jamie's front was left vulnerable. Her punched her in the jaw, pushing her backwards onto the conference table and off the other side, hitting the floor hard. Before Jamie had the chance to get up or even reach for her gun at her hip, the man walked around the edge of the table and kicked her in the stomach, knock her flat on the stomach.

" _Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section, then get to the armory. Romanoff?"_

" _We're okay,"_ she said, but her next statement wasn't as assuring. " _We're okay, right?"_

Jamie flipped onto her back, and as the guy went to kick her again, kicked his ankle and reached up, grabbing the sleeves of his jacket and pulled him down. She rolled over top of him, though not completely over. She knelt beside him, holding him down with one hand while the other, She punched him once, twice, three times before the attacker pulled Jamie up to their feet, pinning her against the wall.

" _Roe?"_ Fury asked, addressing her directly through the comm. link.

He punched her in the face again, he tried to do it again, but Jamie blocked with her forearm. Her other hand shot out, smacking into his throat with the heel of her hand. A snarled choke escaped him. Jamie believed him to be in shock, but as she found out when swinging out to make contact with his face again, he wasn't. He blocked with is forearm and with his other hand grabbed her by her hair and brought his knee up, slamming it into her stomach. Jamie's knees buckled.

" _Roe, do you copy?"_

With the girl disoriented, he dragged her several feet to where they had entered the room and shoved her through the closed glass door. She landed on a pile of glass, pushing through the fabric of her uniform and into her skin. The man turned away, slowly hobbling to where his gun had been dropped. Jamie, though disoriented, wasn't as out of it as he believed. She quickly reached for her gun and fired, killing her attacker.

" _Roe? Do you copy?"_

"Little _busy_ right now, Directo- _oh shit_!"

She groaned and pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning against the hallway wall behind her. Jamie was just starting to answer the call when her eyes came in contact with four individuals, only a couple feet away from her, looking at her with that district "You're so gonna get it" look people always gave to the enemy. _Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me,_ Jamie thought, with a whimper sigh.

Without hesitation, Jamie reached out and grabbed the arm of the man who was reaching out for her. She pulled herself up as she pulled him down. Before she was completely up though, Jamie turned and raised her elbow, bringing it down with as much force as she could muster to his forearm, breaking the humerus. He fell to the ground, passed from from the pain.

Jamie didn't stop there though. There was a guy right beside him, and she grabbed ahold of his shirt, kneeing him in the stomach before turning around and bashing his face into the metal wall of the hallway. The next guy that came at her ended up getting a karate chop shaped hand to the neck. The second and fourth guy charged at her at one.

The blue eyed girl knew that she was getting tired. She was bruised, beaten and even shot. She wouldn't be able to keep that pace up forever. So, she opted to go with the one thing she decided she would never do again.

Jamie used her powers.

It was a relatively simple move, one that she had used the first day she had ever gotten controlled her power. It was simple, but took quite a bit of energy and effort to used. Jamie built up the energy and then dispersed everything she had gathered, knocking everybody around her away and unconscious. It was physically draining, so even when she was training in captivity, she didn't use it often.

Panting, Jamie leaned against the hallway wall trying to catch her breathe.

" _Sir, we've lost all power in engine one,"_ a male voice said over the comm. link.

" _It's Barton. He took out our systems,"_ Fury answered. " _He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"_

" _This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."_

"Private Roe copy's as well." Jamie pushed off the wall and started to make her way towards detention.

* * *

 **Yay, another chapter where a crap load of bad stuff is happening! What a wonderfully horrible thing to be excited for! Anyway, hope you guys liked this one. Wasn't completely satisfied with how Jamie's powers were revealed, but I wasn't really sure how else to do it. Please let me know what you thought, I'd really like to know. Thanks!**

Thanks to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **Guest** _ \- Oh, absolutely now problem at all! I love answering questions. And I'm so glad you loved the chapter and thought it was worth staying up for. Trust me, you're not the only one that's lost sleep over reading an updated chapter right before bed. Anyway, I'm really glad you liked it and I hope you enjoyed this one.

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better, thank you. His passing wasn't really a shock since he hasn't been in good health for about 10 years so...Anyway, enough with the depressing stuff! You don't have to wait too long for Jamie to really use her powers. She will use them a little next chapter, but not a great deal. But in NYC she most definitely will, so there's something to look forward to!

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- I love tangents too, especially when the tangent is something that both of us are interested in. Avengers is just a very easy topic to go off on various tangents on. Anywho, no more tangent about tangent...  
Answer: Yes, the Fantastic 4 will be showing up again. I'm not just dropping them. And I can assure you, there will be interactions between several of the Avengers with them, as well as with Jamie..A good deal to Jamie's misery... ;) You'll find out next chapter on your second question...which kind of answers that...Oh well, revealing that isn't that big of a deal.

 _ **bee96** _ \- You did? Well, that makes me very happy. I'm so glad you liked it that much! Hope you liked this one as well.

 ** _Dongyrn_ ** \- I''m so glad you were excited for the chapter. And yes, Jamie did have a will before, but when she got back she hadn't changed it yet to include Andrew, Aaron's little brother, James's kid or Amir's daughter before she wasn't that close to them. She didn't really have anybody to give anything to. Plus, before the Avengers started, Jamie had only been back about three months, so she hadn't really gotten around to anything like that. She was more concerned about getting a job. I hope that answer's that. And I'm go glad you liked the chapter. I hope to hear back from you on this chapter to see what you thought as well!

 _ **Day** _ \- Really, I'm so glad to hear that I've made something you like that much. I was nervous that I had too much background at the beginning with no real Avengers and whatnot. I just wanted everybody to get a feel for Jamie. See who she is, what she's like and to get connected and invested into her. I'm really glad you liked it though.

 ** _seasidewriter1_ ** \- I always try to keep to the schedule, but then I get off of it and end up just updating whenever I have a chapter done, so I'm gonna try and stay on schedule now..We'll see how that goes. Yeah, I'm working on the Steve scene now, so we'll also see how that goes, but you've pretty much hit that right on the mark. I didn't really want to have Jamie in the whole fight/argument/discussion with Tony, Bruce and Steve because a lot of people do, so I had Jamie go with Thor instead. That way she could talk to Fury, Thor, and be with Phil before he...well...we all know what happens there.


	17. Make It Mean Something

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, The Fantastic 4 or any of that stuff. Just Jamie and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 17  
Make It Mean Something

 _Okay, one more left and I think that's where Loki's bei-_ Jamie halted, the wall several feet in front of her getting blown through _. What the fuck?_ She slowly moved closer, her gun pointing straight out in front of her just in case she needed it.

What she didn't expect was Loki grumbling to himself as he pushed off the ground and the debris from the wall he had just crashed through. He staggered for a moment, trying to regain his equilibrium before freezing when he heard Jamie's voice.

"I can honestly say I thought you had more class than going through walls," Jamie said, glaring at the blue eyed god in front of her. "Seems more like your brother's thing. Not your's. Either way, I wouldn't move if I were you."

Loki chuckled, turning to face Jamie straight on instead of looking at her from the side. "Yes, my brother is quite the brute," he chuckled.

"I'll take the brute over the liar _any day,_ " Jamie stated. "And I said _don't move_!"

Loki chuckled again. "I remember you," he said, gesturing the scepter to her to emphasize his point. "You shot me."

"I did, and I'd really like to do it again," Jamie said. "Keep moving and I will. Go ahead, make my day."

"You and I both know your weapons have no effect on me, mortal," Loki pointed out.

"I'm more than willing to test every since one of them off on you," Jamie offered. "An asshole like you deserves _nothing_ but the best."

"You are feisty, my dear," Loki stated. "I like fortitude in a woman."

"Yeah, well, I like a little humanity in my men," Jamie retorted without thinking. "Anyway, if you don't mind just dropping that scepter and getting down on the ground, I would _greatly_ appreciate ending this whole thing."

"Ending it just as your dear Agent Coulson?"

Jamie's breathe caught in her throat. _What the heck is he talking about? End Coulso-no!_ "What did you do to Phil?" she demanded through gritted teeth. "Where is he?" Loki just smirked in turn. "Where the fuck is he? Answer me you _fucking prick_ or I swear to _God-_ "

" _I am god!_ " he corrected angrily.

Jamie, fed up with Loki and the unanswered questions, removed one hand off of her gun and held her palm out to him, blue light dancing around it in a beautifully dangerous way. "Where. Is. _Phil_!" she demanded again, sending one warning shot over his shoulder into the wall.

"Why don't you look for yourself you _hoydenish quim_!"

Jamie slowly stepped forward, her eyes remaining fixed on Loki. she could see out of the corner of her eye that there was a male body resting up against the wall in the Detention chamber where Loki had been held. "Oh my God," Jamie muttered. She shot another blast at Loki, hitting him this time, sending him back off his feet as before she ran into the chamber, sliding to Coulson's side.

Jamie was in complete shock of what was before her. Phil, Agent Phil Coulson was resting against the wall with a massive gaping hole in his chest. Coulson, the ultimate agent. The perfect follower. Coulson couldn't be down! He was Coulson, he was always supposed to be around. He presence was always expected to be there. He couldn't be bleeding out before her, on the verge of death.

"Jamie," Phil coughed, snapping Jamie out of it.

"Jesus, Phil!" Jamie sighed of so quietly. The first thing she did was move the massive gun off his lap. She moved in close, putting on hand on the wound on his front, putting pressure on it. She loved him slightly forward to check for any other injuries, finding another hole in his back. She maneuvered so that her left hand was putting pressure on the front of him, while the right was on his back. "You sure know how to get into trouble, don't you?"

"Right," he tried to chuckle, but ended up wincing in pain.

"Easy," Jamie instructed. Despite the pressure she was putting on the wounds, the bleeding wasn't slowing down whatsoever. Jamie's hands were soaked in blood. So much so that they started to drip down her forearms. "Did you call for a medic?" she asked.

Coulson coughed, his eyes glancing up at her. "Yeah," she answered. "But I don't think they're going to make it in time, Jamie."

"You can't think like that, Phil," Jamie muttered, her throat tightening. She could feel the pressure behind her eyes. She was going to cry, but she couldn't. She had to hold them back for Phil, to be strong for him. "They'll be here. You'll be okay."

"It's okay," he told her, reaching up with one hand to grab her arm comfortingly.

Jamie shook her head frantically. "No, no," she mumbled, the tears slipping out of her eyes. "It's not okay. You can't die. You're not the guy that dies. You're the guy that's always there to help."

"Doesn't always work out that way, kiddo," he said. "Just gotta make the most out of what you got. Make something out of it, just like you said."

"You weren't supposed to go and use that!" Jamie scolded. "I was supposed to be the one to make it meaningful, _not_ you! You weren't supposed to-"

"You're not...helping, Jamie," he managed to get out.

Jamie bit her lip, desperate to calm herself down for not only her sake, but primarily Phil's. She was being selfish for thinking the way she was. What she needed to do now was to be there for him in whatever way he needed, even if that was accepting the fact that he could possibly not make it through this.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked, gulping in anticipation.

"Could you get my cards signed for me?" he asked. "I may not have them, but at least they'd be signed. Keep them for me."

"You wanna give me some of your most valuable things?" Jamie gaped. "Why?"

"You'd appreciate them and take care of them the way they deserve," he answered. "Us geeks have to stick together."

"You know it," Jamie chuckled with no light.

It was then that Jamie heard footsteps running up beside her. She didn't move to the side in fear that her grip on Phil's wounds would lesson, allowing for him to bleed out even more than he already was all over her, the floor and the wall. Fury didn't really seem to take notice of her lack of shifting though. Instead, he knelt down in front of his agent and started to address him, thou before he could get anything in, Phil was already speaking.

"Sorry Boss," Phil said. "The god rabbited."

"Just stay awake," Fury ordered. He took a hold of his head to make him focus. "Eyes on me!"

"No," he said quietly. "I'm clocked out here."

"Not an option," Fury told him.

"It's okay, boss," he told his boss. Jamie wanted so desperately to turn her head away and let the tears out, to not watch as Phil drew closer and closer to death, but she couldn't draw her eyes away. She didn't want to miss a single moment that she had left with the man she really didn't know all that well, but had come to respect in more ways than one. "This was never going to work…if they didn't have something…to…"

"Shit," Jamie muttered, thinking that it was her hold on his wound that had caused him to pass from the bleeding. If her hold was tighter then perhaps he could have held out until the medical team arrived. "Shit, _no_. Come on, Phil. _Hang_ in there."

Fury moved her back so that the medical team could get in, but they both knew he was gone. Jamie, again, couldn't pull her eyes away from the sight before her. She watched as the medical team desperately worked as quickly as they possibly could to save Phil's already passed life. There wasn't anything they could do though. Phil was gone. Neither of them wanted to believe it, but the agent was dead.

They both stood there, Jamie moving her gaze from Phil to her hands that were covered in his blood and then back again. She nearly screamed when they told Fury that they were calling it. That right there made everything so real for Jamie. They had called it. The medics stated what neither of them said outloud.

Phil was gone.

Fury leaned back, his eyes on the corpse before them, but looking at a far more distant place. "Agent Coulson is down," Fury told everyone through the comm.

" _A medical team is on its way to your location,"_ an unknown agent told them over the link.

"They're here," Fury told them. He took in a deep breath, looked down at the girl next to him and said, "They called it."

Jamie shook her head, turning away from the bloody sight. _I thought I was done seeing good soldi- good_ men _die,_ she thought. _I guess I just can't get away from it. Can't stop it._ Jamie angrily kicked the railing behind her, a loud cry of frustration echoing through the chamber.

"There was nothing you could have done," Fury told her.

She grasped the railing, leaning into it with straight arms, her head hanging low in the open space as she tried to catch her breathe and calm down. Jamie shook her head again, before letting it fall down against her chest. "If there was one person on this fucking boat that didn't deserve to die," Jamie started to say, "it was Phil."

"You're the one telling _me_ that?" Fury asked. "He was my right hand man."

Jamie glanced up. Fury's face was cold and stoic, as usually, but not so much so that he didn't seem as inhuman as Jamie may have previously believed. Phil's death wasn't sitting well with Fury, as it shouldn't. But right then just made Jamie realize just how human Fury was. He cared about the man. He cared about what would happen to him, to them, to everybody in this fight.

"We can't take this," Jamie stated.

"You need to get a hold of yourself," Fury said, though his tone wasn't as cold as one would expect from a statement such as that.

"No, that's not what I meant," Jamie said. She knew he was thinking that she meant something different. "I mean we can't take this. We can't just let this happen and not make it worth something; _mean_ something. Phil said so himself. We need to use this. Make it push the Avengers into working together and getting the job done."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" he asked.

"Well, they already know Phil's…" Jamie gulped, turning her head towards where Phil's body was being bagged up to get ready to transport to the freezers in the medical ward. "We gotta guilt them. Make them want to _avenge_ him. We all knew Phil. He was a good guy and none of us wanted him to...To _die_." Jamie sighed, looking down at her blood coated hands. "He would kill me for even thinking about this right now," she muttered.

"Thinking about _what_?" Fury pressed, getting impatient.

Jamie looked back up at Fury, straight in his eye and said, "I've got an idea."

* * *

Jamie stood in the back of the room on the bridge, her back leaning up against the wall behind the conference chairs, where Steve and Tony were sitting. Agent Hill watched the group from the bottom floor of the main area, the workers going about their business as if the boss wasn't addressing the group behind them. Fury was standing on the other side of the table where his command post was, though his back was turned away from the monitors as he addressed the rest of the group.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury said. He glanced up from the card in his hand to Steve, who was sitting in just the blue underarmor of the uniform now, with the bottom half of his uniform still complete. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." He tossed the Captain America vintage trading cards onto the table, the wet blood getting onto the clear top.

Steve sighed, staring down at the cards as he leaned forward and picked up up, turning it around to see the blood coating his image on the other side. Jamie knew that would hit Steve hard. He knew he was awkward about signing them, but Phil was a good guy. That was why he agreed to scene them. And now, since he had waited and had gotten busy, never did it for the now deceased man. That had been part of Jamie's idea she had mentioned to Fury.

"We're dead in the air up here," Fury went on. "Our communications, the location of the Cube, Banner, Thor...I've got nothing for you." Fury shook his head before he went on. "I lost my one good eye." He did so again as he said, much softer to show just how much he was affected. He sounded so tired, just as tired as each and every one of them. "Maybe I had that coming," he thought.

Fury glanced up at Jamie, who sighed and nodded her head for him to go on. He gave her the smallest of nods in order for it to go unnoticed by the other two, though neither were looking up at him so they wouldn't have noticed anyway. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier.

"There was an idea, Stark and Roe know this, called the Avengers Initiative," he explained. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could _work together_ when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.

"Phil Coulson died _still_ believing in that idea. In heroes," Fury said.

Tony stood up, not liking how heavy the conversation and topic was. He was clearly upset with everything; Loki, the Tesseract, the Avenger, Phil. He turned and started to walk away from the table, but before he was completely through the doors, almost in front of Jamie, he stopped he hear the last bit of information Fury stated.

"Well, it's an old-fashioned notion," he said. "I was afraid we'd have to turn to our Contingency. You see, if the Avengers didn't work, we were left with no other option than to come up with the Contingency; Jamie. She agreed to do everything in her power to stop the Tesseract if it came to it, but that would mean she'd have to give up her life in an attempt to do so. We were hoping to avoid that. We've lost far too many people today. I guess we'll have to put up with one more."

Jamie took that moment as her time to leave. She could practically hear Steve's head snap up to Fury and then to Jamie. She hadn't realized he was going to say that! That wasn't part of the plan! Their plan was to snap them into being a team, not to disclose the Contingency plan.

Jamie made her way to her room of all places, a spot she hadn't spent more than an hour or so in. Most of her time was spent in the medical bay with Amir, but now that there were patients to attend to there was no room or place for her to just be lounging about. No, if she was going to be along and to try and avoid everyone, it was her room.

Once inside, Jamie plopped onto the bed, her feet dangling off. She was much more comfortable in the tank top and uniform pants she had changed into after washing off as much of Phil's blood from herself as she could, though there were still stains inside the grooves and crevices of her skin that was itching at her.

The clothes she was wearing allowed for anybody to clearly see all of the bruises and cuts and wounds she had obtained from her battles the past several incidents.

There was a knock on the door, and Jamie, too mentally and physically exhausted to get up and answer it, just simply called out that it was open for the other individual to enter through the threshold.

"Hey, Jamie," Steve murmured slipping in through the door, using as little space as possible before closing it.

"Hey," Jamie greeted, pushing herself up by her arms. She moved back on the bunk so that her back was pressed up against the wall behind her, her feet pulled up under her. "I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier, how are you? You okay?" she asked concerned that he had gotten hurt. There didn't appear to really be anything to worry about, but Steve was a friend and it was her job to worry.

"I'm...coping," Steve said. "It's sad to say that I am used to this kind of thing."

"Steve, honey, you're preaching to the choir," Jamie stated, giving him a sympathetic look.

"You we're close to him, how are you holding up?" Steve asked her, going over to sit in her deck chair.

"I wouldn't say we were really all that close," Jamie muttered. "I could see us getting to know each other if...You know. He was a good guy. And we had things in common. He didn't deserve what happened."

"Yeah, but...we're going to change that. Right?" Steve said with conviction. "We won't let it...end this way." he said.

"No, no we won't," Jamie said. "No matter the price."

"Jamie, you know I am totally with you on that, but I don't-...you can't." Steve sighed slightly not getting his words out right. "I don't want you to...go through with the contingency plan."

"Steve," Jamie muttered. "You of all people know that when the time comes, you can't risk taking that chance. If there's an opening, I gotta take it. People's lives are at stake."

"You're the first actual friend I've had since Bucky passed away. And I don't want to lose you in that way."

"It's not like I want to die, Steve," Jamie pointed out. "I don't want to put you through that, or Amir or anybody! But you have to know that there are a lot of decent people out there. And if you give them a chance you can make a new friend. Maybe not one that can help you out as a personal flashlight when the power goes out, but, you know, can't have everything."

Jamie tried to joke to make the atmosphere lighter, to easy Steve. But her attempted seemed to fall very short.

"I'm not going to force you, but I just wanted you to try and wait until the last possible second. Til we're sure there is no other option. I mean it. We just lost Agent Coulson, and and who knows how many more casualties. We don't want to lose many more, including you."

"For everybody's sake, and my own, I hope I don't have to," she admitted.

"Good, just wanted you to know." Steve nodded with a sigh, seemingly happy to get that off of his chest.

"Thanks," she said. "It's nice to know someone cares every once in awhile."

"No problem, we gotta have each other's sixes right?" He mumbled.

"Yeah," she said. "I've got your six." _Even if that means giving mine for yours_.

"I'm going to check on Stark," he said, getting up from the chair.

"Yeah, he looked like all of this was getting to him," Jamie said. "Just don't go too hard on him if he's being a dick. That's just his way of coping. Or so I'm assuming, since he's kind of a dick all the time." Jamie followed Steve up and walked him to the door. "I'll see you later," Jamie said, pecking Steve on the cheek as her usual farewell. "Alright?"

"Right," Steve said his blush in place. "We'll talk more then." But he reached up and pulled her close by one arm, giving her an awkward one armed hug before releasing her quickly and opening the door. "See you," he continued and walked out.

Jamie just sighed and smirked in amusement before it slowly fell off her lips. She just hoped that she would be able to have those awkward moments with Steve again. The juxtaposing of Steve's 40's fashioned thinking and actions with her own modern views and doings was something she was really getting used to. She just hoped there was a whole lot more of it to come.

* * *

 **I'm updating a day early because 1) I'm anxious to see what you guys thing, 2) I'm sick can't breathe so can't sleep and it's 5 in the morning...**

 **Well...There we have it. Phil's dead...God, I hate writing that scene. It's the second time I wrote it...Anyway, the battle of New York is next chapter! Are you guys excited or what? Let me know what you think! Please review!**

Thanks to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter(s):

 ** _seasidewriter1_** \- I agree, the argument scene is one of the hardest to incorporate an OC into. Steve and Jamie talked a little bit here, but not about what happened to her or him or the experiments and whatnot. But that will come, I assure you. Steve just wants to make sure she makes it through everything first before worry about that. And I hoped you liked the Phil scene. Originally I didn't have that planned, or the meeting with Loki either (I had planned for her to get thrown off the Helicarrier of all things, but then changed). I've very glad you liked it!

 _ **TokyoGirl7**_ \- I'm so happy that you're enjoying this fic! I'm very proud of Jamie, and I love how she's turned out. I will try my best to continue making content that you and everybody else likes. I look forward to hearing from you again, and thank you very much for your lovely review.

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- I'm really happy you found the scene tasteful. I was so very nervous about it. Right now, everybody knows about it, and they know it's there, but there's not really time to worry about it or ask too many questions. There are so many more pressing matters to deal with. So later on will be when it's discussed. And yes, I couldn't just have her go from the lab instantly into what what happens at the beginning here with Phil. There is time between the two scene, and I wanted to make it as realistic as I could. Jamie is a soldier at heart, and forever will be, so yes, she is going to want to fight and defend to the very end. Even if it's not really her job or place to. She can't help who she is, just as she can't help her abilities. That's primarily how she came to accept them too. Okay, sorry for ranking. I'm done! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you liked this one as well!

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Yeah, Jamie was pretty mellow with the swearing in that chapter. Normally she swears more. As you will see in the future. She tries not to around Steve though, especially now since she knows who he is. And don't worry, I swear a whole lot too. ;) And you are such a dork. I love it!

 ** _Rachel_ ** \- Yes, the scene is from The Newsroom. And I did give credit for that in that specific chapter. I can't list everything every time I do it, so I just go with the major things like Marvel, Avengers and Fantastic 4, since they're the major ones. I'm so glad you like the chapter though. Thank you for your review!

 _ **Guest** _ \- It's a really hard scene to write an OC into, because it's so strictly structured. It's a great scene, and very hard to change without disrupting the flow. I'm really glad you liked hoe it turned out though. I was nervous. And yes, it is very hard to hear everything they say. It took me twelve or so (not lying either) replays of listening to it to get everything I wanted into it for each sentence said. EACH SENTENCE. Anyway, it was effort well put in, in my opinion. And yes, Jamie is getting more used to using her abilities She see's that there are more important things going on right now to worry about not using them and using them. She's not as bothered by them as she was before, but she still is.

 _ **TMG4899** _ \- Yes, they now know! I'm glad you liked it, because it was a very difficult scene to chance because it's such a very structured part of the movie. Yes, there will be protectiveness to come, though I'm not telling you will or won't be. I'm glad you have at least one story that's updating though. I will admit, I'm guilty of doing that. I just get writers block...stupid writers block...Well, on the bright side...I have up to chapter 19 done and I'm working on 20 now so...You have that to look forward to.

 _ **Day** _ \- Well, you only have to wait a week before updates...Wow, that sounds like a long time...Oh well!. On the bright side, I have up through chapter 19 done and I'm working on 20 as we speak, so you don't really have to worry about running out of chapters to read.


	18. I Wanna Be A Part Of It

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, The Fantastic 4, or any of that stuff. I just own Jamie and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 18  
I Wanna Be A Part Of It (New York, New York)

Jamie was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her stance spread apart as she looked down at the land and water below as the helicarrier flew above without a designated destination. She preferred the night view, but the day view was extremely beautiful as well. She could have stood there in silence looking out of it forever.

Fury was standing beside her, Phil's cards in his hand. If anybody looked at him they could figure out the world was on his mind and the weight of it on his shoulders.

"Do you think it worked?" Jamie asked out of the blue, breaking the silence between the two.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Fury answered.

"Sir," His said, coming up from behind Jamie and Fury.

"Agent Hill," Fury acknowledged.

"Those cards, they were in Coulson's foot locker," she stated, "not in his jacket."

Fury sighed, holding up the cards, his gaze back on them, as well as Jamie's. "They needed the push," he said.

Below their feet through the glass floor Jamie could make out the image of Iron made flying down towards the land, while a quinjet followed shortly after. Her head snapped to Fury, who had watched the same thing happen next to her.

" _We have an unauthorized departure from Bay Six,"_ an agent sai over the PA.

"They found him," Fury said.

Jamie looked back to the disappearing quinjet before turning back to Fury with a very clear expression of shock. "They left without me!" she stated. "You just had to tell them about the Contingency Plan, didn't you!"

"It's pushed them into acting by not wanting you to give up your life," Fury stated. "Coulson was good push, but most of them spoke to you more than him. Take Captain Rogers, for instance. You're his friend. He recognizes the selfless action of giving yourself to save others, but you're one of the only people that's close to him in this time. You're one of the only things he's got, so he's going to do everything he can to protect that."

"By almost getting himself killed in the process?" Jamie practically growled. "Who knows what's waiting for them when they get there! Loki, of course, and we all know how that went _last_ time. But what if that army of his does show up? He needs as much backup as he can get! They all do!"

"Well, then I suggest you get going and try to catch up," he suggested.

"I can't fly one of those," Jamie stated, pointing out to the nearly out of sight quinjet.

"You've got powers, use them," he told her before turning to Agent Hill. "Get our communications back up. Whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything."

"Yes, sir," Hill answered.

Jamie was left standing there alone for a moment. She stared after Fury as he and Hill went back to work. Her blue eyes shifted back to the window in the direction of where the rest of the Avengers had gone. What else could she do other then just go after them? For her, she didn't see any other option.

She needed to go get changed.

* * *

The wind outside on the tarmac made it incredibly difficult to stand still, particularly while close to the edge of the Helicarrier. She never really practiced what she was about to do, but she knew it was possible from her time in captivity. She knew that if she over thought what she was about to do, she wouldn't be able to. She had to make herself desperate. She just had to do it. Force herself.

Without putting any more thought behind it, Jamie ran as fast as she could, jumping off the side of the Helicarrier, quickly falling. She found it hard to breathe, but once she got used to the air around her – pressure wise as well as the speed – she filled her lungs with the oxygen her body desperately needed.

 _Okay, come on. You can do it. You can do it_ , she told herself repeatedly. Nothing happened. She looked at her hands, trying to focus on her source to get the energy moving throughout her body. _Come on, come on, come on!_ The water was quickly approaching. If she didn't get it working in the next second, she'd die.

And just like that, she was volitant. The energy flooded through her veins, admitting the blue glow around her body as the girl evened out, flying straight and in the direction of where Iron Man and the Quinjet had flown; towards New York City, she found, where her help was desperately needed.

There was a loud sonic boom, whirling noise, so deafening to Jamie's ears that she had to stop and cover them, gritting her teeth with a groan as she looke dup, watching a bright blue beam of light shoot up from the top of the Stark building and into the sky. It stopped and spread out, as if putting a gaping big black hole in the middle of the sky.

"Holy shit." Her voice was quiet and breathy from how much energy it took to fly. Jamie stopped, floating in mid air, looking forward and up. "What the hell is that?"

Once the hole was open, Jamie could barely make out dots, or figures rather, flying out of it and down towards the populated city below. One blew flew straight up from the tower, blasting some of the new arrivals to pieces. It had to be Iron man. Who else could it have possibly have been?

"Right, Thor said army," she muttered to herself. She leaned forward, on the move again, this time much quicker than before. If she thought they needed her help before, they sure as hell needed it more now. "Got a fucking alien army to fight."

Jamie finally made it to the city, flying down Sixth Ave north in the direction of Stark Tower. It wasn't until she got over Bryant Park, where people were running and screaming for their lives that Jamie finally made contact with any of the alien soldier. There three Chitauri with what looked like long staffs with guns on the led, sort of similar to how Loki's scepter looked like. They had their backs to Jamie as she pushed forward.

As she flew towards them, she shifted so that her feet were in front of her, and her energy no longer pushing her. The momentum from the flight direction short her directly into the back of one of the soldiers, knocking him glad on the ground and into his spear, piercing through his armor and into his chest. There was a strangled noise from the now dead body, alerting the other two that something was wrong.

Before either of them had a chance to do anything, Jamie raised her hands shot two blasts, one from each hand, to the two remaining soldiers. They both flew backwards, sliding on the ground. Jamie stepped off of the soldier and looked down at it.

"Well aren't you gorgeous," Jamie muttered. "You're even prettier than the Predator without its mask."

The Chitauri had figures much like humans did. They stood on two legs, had to arms and so on and so forth. Their faces, however, were vastly different. They appeared more insect- robot like than human. And they were a grayish-blue, which was a little off putting in and of itself. She just shook her head and flew up, fully intended on making her way to where the main battle was.

Jamie flew pasted the public library, before she stopped once more in pure shock at the large worm, whale, Chaturi creature that came out of the wormhole. "Oh my God, it's a space whale," Jamie pointed out to nobody in particular.

A shot was fired towards Jamie, just barely missing and hitting the side of the library. Jamie tried to duck, but her legs just ended up pulling up to her chest. Her top half hadn't actually moved one bit. She supposed she still had to figure the whole flying things out. But she didn't ponder on that long. She flew down Fifth Ave, the creature flying after her.

She twisted her arms, turning her body to dodge another shot. She had to keep looking back to see where the creature was, and if it was about to shoot. She supposed side mirrors would have come in handy in that moment, like a car. because of her glanced, she missed a Chitauri on another craft flying perpendicular to her on West Forty-Fourth street. The collision threw her and the Chitauri down and to the right, straight threw the display windows of the Best Buy on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Forty-Fourth.

Jamie slid across the floor, the chitauri right beside her, straight into the Geek squad desk, a computer monitory falling down and directly onto her head. She grunted, but shook off her dizziness and grabbed the monitor as the Chitauri shifted. She got up and swung it directly at its head, knocking the helmet off. The helmet lodged itself into the screen, making it harder to used the item as a weapon. So instead of using it, Jamie opted to just go with a glowing fist.

"You have space whales. What's next? Giant space squid?" Jamie punches the Chitauri in the face, breaking the sharp teeth, though also cutting up her knuckles in the process. "Please just tell me you guys don't have a space clown or something like that. Because that'd really creep the shit out of me."

"You know, I really don't see how having space whales is fair," Jamie thought. I mean, that things is a hundred times bigger than me! Didn't anybody ever tell you to pick on someone your own size?"

Jamie stumbled out of the store, glancing around at the mayhem and chaos around her. She knew New York City was a madhouse to begin with, but this was entirely different. She would kill to have it back to how it was before; so that there wasn't all the destruction and death and trauma that was currently spreading street by street.

She wouldn't dwell on that though. She had to move and she had to fight in order to protect whoever was still alive. She had to protect New York, the world. She couldn't just stand there like she was and get lost in all the horror. She was a soldier, she was supposed to be the one helping the others that got stuck like that.

 _Move your ass, Jay,_ she told herself, jumping off the ground and staying in the air. She took in a deep breath to compose herself and pushed forward, looking for an alien to beat or people to help. She came across two lone individuals, one a police officer and a young woman dressed as a waitress. The officer was waver the woman over, telling her that he would help her to safety, but Jamie, being much high up in the air with a different vantage point could see that there was a Chitauri coming around a car to his left.

"Get down!" Jamie screamed, going in low and fast. The Chitauri shot, but it was at the exact moment that Jamie tackled, it so the shot missed the officer.

Jamie landed on top of the Chitauri, who rolled onto his back to roar at her. He moved his clawed hand and swiped at her side, scratching through the fabric of her uniform and her skin. She cried out, but didn't get up. She moved her hands, putting one open hand over the top of the other straight above the alien's face. She focused the energy in her hands, building it up before angrily yelling out as the energy released and singed the creature, killing it.

The young woman sat back, too tired to move off of the alien just yet as the police officer she had saved ran over to her, looking at her as if he had never seen anything like her before, which he probably hadn't.

"I should've moved to London with the Brits," Jamie grumbled. "This shit doesn't happen there!"

"You're tellin' me," he muttered, obviously meaning the alien invasion _and_ whatever the heck she had done.

"You okay?" she asked, groaning as she got up. She looked down at her side and put a hand there to keep a little pressure on the wound while she could. "He didn't getcha, did he?"

"No," he answered.

"That's good to hear Officer," Jamie said, looking at his nametag, "Sauncers. Have any idea what everybody's doing?" she asked. "Got separated from the rest of my team."

"Some guy with a shield told us to get people out of the building using the subway and basements," he started to explain. "We're setting up a perimeter down to thirty-ninth street."

"Cap?" Jamie asked. "Captain America told you that?"

"Captain America isn't real," he scoffed.

"Right, because the guy in the blue spangled outfit and the shield isn't proof enough," Jamie laughed. "He's the real deal, I assure you."

"And who are you?" Sauncers asked.

"J-" she started to say, but stopped. Everybody else had codenames, why shouldn't she used one. If she did live through this, it would be handy for people to now know her name, after all. But what should she give? She didn't really have any nicknames from the military like a lot of her fellow soldiers had. She only had the one the men in captivity had given her. Though, perhaps that was the best thing to go with. "Solace," she stated. "They call me Solace."

"Right," Sauncers muttered skeptically.

"You should get back to your men," Jamie said. "Go help them."

"I don't take orders from you," he said.

Jamie rolled her eyes, her light dusting her skin as she lifted off the ground. "Right," Jamie said. "Don't listen to the person that just saved your life, it's not like you're listening to the orders _my_ Captain told you or anything."

"Okay, Thanks," he said.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Jamie said. "It's been a long couple days for me."

"You can say that again," he said.

Jamie saw Iron man being chased by one of the whales a block over. "Take care of yourself!" Jamie yelled. "You think you can get back safely on your own?"

"It'd be easier if I had a lift," he admitted.

Jamie calculated how heavy the guy was for a moment. She could probably hold onto his for a good while. She could take him. "Okay, yes, sure," she said. "Give me your arms," she said. He raised his arms and she grabbed onto the. "Which way?" she asked.

"There," he nodded in the direction.

"Okay," she said.

It didn't take much time to get to where Officer Sauncers had to get to. The officers all pointed their gun in her direction, afraid that she was one of the enemy with one of their own. However, when they finally got close, they lowered their weapons and gaped in complete shock at the site. Jamie set him down and then planted her feet on the solid surface.

"Jesus, you're heavier than you look Sauncers," Jamie panted, leaning back against one of the patrol cars to catch her breathe.

Several men surrounded her, Sauncers included. "Thanks Solace," he said.

"Solace?" the Sergeant said. His nametag told that his name was Silva.

"Yeeeeeeup," Jamie said slowly. "How are things down here?" she asked.

"For the most part, those things are getting contained," Silva answered. "If it weren't for you and those other guys, we'd be dead already."

"Right, containment," Jamie muttered, looking around them. I wanna know why they haven't gotten up to the Tesseract yet, she thought. Getting to that would stop all of the incoming invaders.

"What the hell is going on here?" Silva asked.

"Oh, you know, this and that," she muttered.

"Don't give me that bull," he said.

"Okay, okay," Jamie sighed. She knew she shouldn't share, but they were all risking their lives, just like her and the rest of the Avengers. "They're called Chitauri," she said. "And they're aliens, if you hadn't figured that one out yet."

"I think we've got that," the Sauncers said.

"No need for the attitude, man. We've got enough to worry about."

His short light brown hair was brown hair was sticking up every which way, his white skin coated here and there with patches of dirt. His officer's uniform was just the same as all the rest of the officers around him. His hazel eyes showed everything that he was feeling and thinking. His eyes would give everything away, she thought, if he ever had to lie about something. He was very handsome, is a very average, comforting kind of way, which was very reassuring in their situation, despite his panicked expression. His nametag told her that his last name was Greer.

"Thank you, Officer Greer," Jamie said. "It's nice to know someone has my back."

"Hey, you're not attacking us so I figure it's a good thing to have the glowing girl on our side,"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that," she muttered.

"And I'd appreciate you not calling me Greer," he said. "It's CC."

"Sure, whatever you like, Officer," Jamie said.

"I'd like a date with you if we live through this," he said.

"Really man? Not the time!" Sauncers muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Now's the perfect time!" Greer protested.

"I've gotta agree with Sauncers on this one," Jamie said. "Not really the time to think about dating!"

"Well, I might die, and you might die, so really having something to look forward to increases our chances!" Greer said.

Jamie sighed. She didn't want the young guy to die, but she didn't want to give him false hope either. But if it gave him comfort if the moment did come and the young man have the possibility to die.

"Alright," Jamie said. "You have a deal as long as you live long enough."

"Really?" Sauncers gaped.

"What? Really?" Greer asked in complete shock.

"Yes, I will go out with you, as long as you live, of course," Jamie said. "So stay alive, you hear me!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" he laughed. "Friday night, Josie's Bar. Seven o'clock sharp!"

Jamie didn't know where that was, but if she lived through this she'd have to look it up. She just rolled her eyes and smirked, lifting off into the air. "I've gotta go, fellas!" She saluted them lamely, adding, "Keep up the good work!"

With that, Jamie quickly made her way to Stark Tower.

* * *

 **And there you have it. Steve's way of trying to protect the only real friend he has right now...By leaving her behind...Right, because that will _always_ turn out well...Anyway, Hope you guys liked the chapter and most of the original content in it. There's a new OC in the neighborhood...Wonder what'll happen there...Anyway, if you guys are interested, you can see what Greer or CC or whatever you want to call him on my polyvore page. It's under Demons701. Well, hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought!**

Thanks to the following for their review(s) on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- God, I hate writing Phil's death. It always makes me so sad. :( Well, you know. Nerds really do need to stick together. More power in numbers and all that...I have no idea where I was going with that though (I'm replying to this right after you e-mailed and I'm still sick and a little out of it so...). Oh, I just had to have Loki be his normal self! We all love/fate it! I couldn't just let that line not be said. I'm glad you liked the scene though. I was nervous it was a little too short or something. I'm nervous about everything so...(I'm rambling and using a whole lot of ...'s...). I'm also glad that you liked Steve and Jamie's little talk at the end there. I didn't exactly know how that was going to go with. If they should argue, if they should not address it, if they should talk about her powers, but I opted with 2, and left the powers conversation for another time, seeing as Steve wants there to be another time. It's not the most pressing matter at the moment, so he has no problem just "forgetting" about it for the time being. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it all overall, and thank you for the review. I look forward to your updates as well.

 _ **Jo** _ \- I know! I always get emotional with the Phil scene. It's one of the best people in the movie!I'm really glad you like the story and the chapter, and I hope you feel better soon! Nobody likes to be sick. It's horrible.

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- It's my least favorite scene too, but it's the one with the most feels, that's for sure. IT'S WHY I STARTED WATCHING SHIELD TOO! Man, that show exceeds all my expectations...though I didn't really have any for it to begin with, because I was afraid that if I did, I'd be very disappointed. But it's really good and I love watching it every Tuesday. Anyway, I'm glad you liked that chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well.

 ** _Guest_** \- The spelling and grammar is all over the place because of my dyslexia. I do reread it over several times before I post, but there are always things to miss. But I'm very glad you liked that story overall.

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- Randomness makes the world a far more entertaining place, couldn't you agree? I'm also really glad you like the awkward moment as much as I do. Steve is the perfect amount of awkward that it's completely adorable. I'm sorry you were feeling sick (I totally get you, seeing as I've been sick for the past week or so). I hope you feel better by the time you read this, or get better soon if you're not already better! Being sick is the worst.

 _ **shugokage** _ \- I'm so glad you find the story interesting. That's my hope and aim. I want to make something complex and interesting, but easy to follow.

 _ **Day**_ \- I always get so down writing Coulson's dead (this is the second time I've done it). At least he's not really dead anymore? Still doesn't make the scene any less sad though. Hope you like the chapter and thank you so much for your review.

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- COLLEGE HAS TAKEN OVER MY LIFE TOOOOO AND IT'S HORRIFYING. Uh, it's so ironic that I hate college sooo much when I'm going to school to be a teacher...I love to teach, just not to attend classes, you know? ...I always make time for FF too, far more than I probably should...I'm trying to be better with that lately though. Time management, Becca! YOU MUST MANAGE YOUR TIME...(Sorry, went off on myself there). Anyway, enough of that from me (and even though I don't like college, I hope you're enjoying yourself and you're not getting too much work to the point it's completely overwhelming).  
I'm glad I'm able to answer your questions. I always aim to tell what I can without revealing too much. Plus, I like talking with my reviews/readers. It helps aim the direction of the story. Steve's awkwardness is one of my favorite things about him, other than his sweetness, muscles, eyes, sense of justice, muscles, his will, did I mention muscles?  
Come out of the corner and read the chapter! I posted early for you! (I was getting really anxious to post. I hate waiting a week for updating...I wanna know what you guys think far too much to wait that. Anyway, I hope you like it and Look! It's the longest response in the entire reply section!


	19. Letting Go

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers, Fantastic 4, Marvel, etc. I just own Jamie and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 19  
Letting Go

Once Jamie got up to the top of Stark Tower, she could make out the two figures on top. Natasha was talking to an older gentlemen, who Jamie figured to be Selvig. Selvig was laying on the ground, with Natasha standing over him. It looked as if Selvig wasn't under Loki's control anymore. She turned away from him and to the Tesseract to try and figure out how to stop it. That was when she saw Jamie.

"Hey _Tasha_ ," Jamie greeted, floating in the air with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You can fly?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the floating young woman.

"I can fly?" Jamie asked, looking down and around her. "Huh, didn't know that."

"So you're a comedian now?" Natasha said. "I wouldn't quit your day job."

"I don't plan on it," Jamie said. "At least, not right now. But I do have work to do. By the way, thanks for leaving without me. I _really_ appreciate that."

"I don't really think this is the time for that, Roe," Natasha said.

"No, I suppose not," Jamie sighed, landing on the rooftop. "Have any ideas on how to stop this thing?"

"Not in the slightest," Nat answered.

"Loki's scepter, the energy," Selvig said, pulling both of the girls attention to him. "The Tesseract can't fight, but you can't protect against yourself."

"It's not your fault," Nat assured. "You didn't know what you were doing."

"Well, actually, I think I did," he corrected. "I built in a safety to cut their power source."

"Loki's scepter," Nat figured.

"It may be able to close the portal, if it can get through the barrier," he said. "And I'm looking right at it."

Jamie walked to the side of the building and glanced over at what he was looking at. The scepter was right on the balcony before them. It would only take Jamie a couple second to get it. "I'll be right back," she sighed, stepping off the ledge as if she was just simply stepping off the curb on the side of the road. She didn't use her energy until she was fifteen feet above the platform to slow her landing. She grabbed the scepter and then instantly pushed off and back up into the air, making it back to the roof without anybody noticing what she had done. "Merry Christmas," she said, tossing it to Natasha.

While she had been with Tasha, Selvig had been setting the monitor back up. "Right at the crown!" he instructed, pointing exactly where it needed to go.

Natasha held the tip of the scepter to the blue barrier surrounding the cube. She put most of her weight into it,trying her best to force it through but it wasn't working. "It's not working!" Nat yelled, gritting her teeth as she tried to force the scepter into the barrier. "The barrier won't let it in!"

"I was afraid of that!" Selvig answered.

"My turn," Jamie muttered, taking in a deep breath as she moved up to stand next to Natasha.

"You know you could die if you do this," Nat reminded her.

"And millions more could die if don't!" Jamie shot back. "I can't be the person to let that happen."

Nat looked torn, but she nodded her head nonetheless. Jame took in one more deep breathe and raised her hands out in front of her, her palms towards the glowing blue barrier. As she stepped closer, the barrier seemed to tort towards her, attracted to the other energy source and vessel. It was a good sign in the mean that she would most likely be able to take in enough to weaken it so they could shut it down, but bad because once it was in her, it would poison her blood and energy until it killed her.

She wouldn't dwell on that though. So she didn't. Jamie just moved in and placed her hands on the barrier, the power instantly flowing into her. It was like Jamie was a sponge soaking up blue kool aid.

It had taken about a minute for Jamie's arm to fully turn to gray when she had gotten hit with Loki's scepter. It was a faction of a second before nearly her whole body was a sickly grayish-blue. Jamie could feel the difference in energies: her's being warm, pushing back on the Cube's cold source.

The pain was immense and hard to describe. It was like being thrown in an ice bath for far too long and then being taken out and shoved into boiling hot water while nails were being pounded into every inch of her body. It was that tingly feeling when a part of the body fell asleep on steroids. It was strangling and scream worthy all at the same time.

"We can close it," Nat said, barely audible to Jamie's pulse in her ears. "Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!" There was far too long of a pause as Nat listened to whoever was connected on the comm. links. Jamie didn't have one, seeing as she had been left behind when they first departed for New York.

All Jamie wanted to do was to move away from the pain. But she couldn't, and it wasn't just because her conscience was telling her to stick with it and save lives. Jamie physically couldn't do anything. The energy was using her, just as much as she was using it (though for an entirely different purpose). The Tesseract wasn't just attacking Jamie with its energy, it was feeding off of her own.

Jamie's energy was trying to push the Tesseract's out, but as it did so, (not very successfully either) it was getting absorbed and used to make the Tesseract's energy that was overcoming her even stronger. But her energy wasn't being transferred into the Tesseract was divided, part of the energy focusing on the portal while the rest was trying to consume Jamie.

Natasha pushed further into the crown, successfully shutting the machine off and signalling the portal to close. In doing so, all of the energy that had been working on the portal had shifted to Jamie.

Natasha watched the portal close, seeing Iron Man just barely manage to get back through to their side. She was greatly relieved when she saw him make it through. Stark was a pain in the ass, but none of them wanted him to die like that. Her attention was only drawn away from the sight of him falling from the sky when she heard the scream come from the brunette next to her.

If Jamie had thought the pain couldn't have gotten any worse, she was drastically mistaken. before she thought the pain was so intense that she couldn't do anything; to talk or even scream. But when the full energy was directed to her a blood curtling scream escaped her throat, piercing through the air around them.

Within a matter of a fraction of a second, before Jamie even had the chance to even let out that scream, the Tesseract took control of her mind, showing her image after image, implanting thought after thought that didn't belong to her.

It showed her the large mothership carrying the rest of the Chitauri army. Whatever Iron Man had been carrying shot to the ship, destroying it. The blast was enough to send Iron Man propelling back quickly enough to make it through the portal. This was the other side perspective that the Avengers weren't witnessing.

That wasn't the only thing it showed her though.

It was the oddest thing Jamie had ever experienced, including hallucinating her brother in the desert. This was stranger, darker.

She could see space. Or she was in space. On an asteroid of some sort, floating around aimlessly with two other beings, both clearly not human whatsoever. The atmosphere (despite not actually having one) was tense and could be cut with a knife.

One of the individuals, the larger one, was seated on a what looked to be a throne, while the other stood behind him, addressing him.

" _Humans_ ," a deep hissing voice. "They are not the cowering wretches we were _promised_! They stand. They are _unruly_ and therefore _cannot._ Be. Ruled!" The seated alien stood up, causing the subject to give a hissed gasp and bow before him. He went on though. "To challenge them would is to court _death_."

The red skinned alien, with these brilliant blue eyes, turned to look at the subject with a menacing smirk planted firmly on his lips. It was as if the thought of that pleased him.

And that was the most terrifying thing of all.

Jamie snapped back to reality, but reality wasn't much better than whatever the heck she had just witnessed.

Jamie still couldn't move whatsoever. Natasha dropped the scepter once the portal was closed and turned to Jamie. The redhead tried to pull her away from the Tesseract, but the power trapping her there was too strong to merely turn the girl away from. It took Natasha tackling Jamie back from the machine to finally break the energy's hold on her.

The brunette still couldn't move. The poisonous energy inside her was paralyzing. Jamie barely hear Natasha as she addressed Jamie and she was right there next to her. "You have to hang in there, Roe!" Natasha said, kneeling over Jamie as she gasped for any amount of ai she could get. Barely anything was going in though. "You have to get it out of you!" Natasha pressed.

That was easier said than done. When it had been trapped just in her arm had been incredibly difficult. Having it everywhere; consuming her? Jamie could barely even think about the pain she was feeling. All there was was the pain.

"Come on! Hang in there, Jamie!"

Jamie's breathing, which had been short and strangled gasps were slowing down and becoming less and less effective. The poisonous energy was destroying her functions. It was preventing her muscles from working, allowing her to breathe, to blink, everything really important that one could simply stop just thinking about it.

" _We gotta stop meeting like this."_

Jamie didn't even have to move her eyes as the figure stepped up into her line of sight, right above where she was laying on the ground. Natasha was kneeling beside her, and he moved to the side to look around the redhead, giving her a once over with a smirk before his attention was drawn back to the female before them.

"We have a situation on the roof!" Romanoff

" _She likes to state the obvious, doesn't she, Jameson?"_

Everett. The last time she had hallucinated him she had almost given up on fighting for her life in the desert. Seeing him wasn't a good sign. It made her believe she wasn't going to make it. That she was _that_ close to dying.

Jamie's breathing was slowing significantly. Her body wasn't getting enough oxygen. Natasha shifted Jamie's head up to try and get her more air, but it wasn't working. Jamie tried to keep her eyes on her brother that wasn't really there.

" _It's okay, Jamie,"_ he said _. "You did good."_

Was he telling her it was okay to die? Didn't he say the last time that she couldn't be a quitter? That she had to fight until the very end? Or was he saying this _was_ the very end? That there wasn't any chance of making it through this fight?

Everett knelt down beside her, his hand caressing her cheek tenderly, a sad, sympathetic smile gracing his lips. " _You can let go."_

Jamie didn't want to let go. But what other option did she have? She couldn't breathe. She couldn't control her muscles. She couldn't control anything. All there was was her mind, and that was barely functioning too. Maybe she would be better off, in less pain, if she just listened to her brother and learned to let go.

If she let go, she could be with her brother again. She could hug her dad and meet her mother. She could see Aaron again, and she could finally relax and not have anything to worry about. She could finally get to know Phil, and introduce him to her brother. They would like that; both being Captain America fans, after all. Everett would get a kick out of hearing that she met Steve. She could even apologize for ruining his cards and for not getting them signed.

So with that, Jamie's eyes closed and she let go.

* * *

 **...Well, it's wasn't like i hinted to this or anything...How many of you didn't expect that, that's the better question. I figured most people would...Well, Jamie's dead. She's not breathing. She has no pulse...Wonder how the others are going to take thing...Anyway, let me know what you guys think. If I get enough people reviewing that I need to update as soon as possible so they can know what's going on, let me know and I'll update early.**

Thanks go to the following lovelies for their review(s)on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- Yes, Josie's. I knew you would catch that you smart little devil you. We may or may not see our Daredevil cast. I've been debating. There will be in the story, but I don't know if they'll be there just yet. I've got quite of bit of stuff planned before CAWS starts so it could go anywhere in there.  
Yeah, I always planned on having Jamie get left behind, for various reasons before I finally settled on this one. I like the way it's turned out.  
Greer is something I've had planned since the very beginning as well. I'm really excited to see what everybody thinks with what I'm going to do with that, which I'm not going to mention because of spoilers so...Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- CC is going to be around for a while, I'll admit that much, but that's it! And I guess that's true, Steve wouldn't have seen any of those movies...Guess that's something to point out to him, huh?

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Yeah, she tested it out during the breakout and in some training, but not extensively, seeing as Cerberus would have wanted to keep her contained. So it was really weird for her to do it again. She wasn't even sure how long she could have done it. Well, at least she found something new out! Learn something new everyday, I guess.

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- I liked my writing class, but all we wrote were research papers and that sort of thing. It wasn't creative writing. It was still better than my math class this semester though. It's less fun to be responsible, but it def. reduces stress, I find, to stick to schedule. I managed to get ahead of schedule so I don't have homework tonight (Not that tonight is the night your reading this, seeing as I respond to these before I update but whatever, you get what I mean). You'll just have to see about the whole date thing...And I have a feeling you're not going to be happy with me for the cliffhanger.

 _ **mercenary2.0**_ \- Don't worry, I will keep updated. I just have a roughly scheduled updating system. It's every week generally around the weekend.

 _ **Jo**_ \- I'm so glad you're feeling better. I finally starting to.

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- I couldn't resist the whole space whale comment. It's what I thought! And that's pretty much exactly how Jamie looked. And the guy wasn't light, let me tell you! Jamie's strong, but not too strong, you know? She's as strong as you would think a female soldier would be. I'm glad you're feeling better. I finally went to the docs to get some meds to make me better. I just couldn't shake it off with cold meds, I guess.

 ** _GoDrinkPinesol624_** \- Thank you. I'm so glad you like it. Thank you for your review.

 _ **Day**_ \- Yes, I know. I do watch Agents of SHIELD...pretty religiously, actually. And I'm so excited to incorporate things from the show into the story, so expect that to come in the future.

 _ **19irene96**_ _ **-**_ I'm so glad you found it interesting. Thank you so much for reviewing and letting me know that.


	20. Revival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Fantastic 4 or stuff. Just Jameson and her fellow OCs.**

* * *

Chapter 20  
Revival

The bar was nice. If Jamie drank or actually went out with people it would have been the perfect place to go. It was homey. Sporty. Casual. It was rather on the dark side with the dimly lit lights, but that didn't bother Jamie in the least. She was far more interested in the lone individual sitting at the bar with a cold beer in his hand.

Everett's attention was focused on the old box television sitting up on top of one of the coolers. It wasn't a sports game, as Jamie would have suspected (her and her brother preferred hockey), but scenes from the fight in New York. Jamie could see the a good portion of the Avengers helping Iron Man off of the ground. It was Steve, Iron Man and Thor on the ground, while she assumed Natasha was still up on the roof, while the view switched to Barton exiting a building, joining the men.

Or rather, the lack of fighting now.

The Chitauri were all lying motionless on the ground. The battle had been won, it seemed.

"Hey, Jameson!" Everett exclaimed, holding his beer up to greet his little sister. "Come join me! Have a beer!"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Can't," she said, walking up to the stool beside him. She sat down, and leaned back, her muscles relaxing as the weight was taken off.

"Sure you can," he said. "You're dead. You can do whatever the hell you want."

Jamie just rolled her eyes, but smirked at her brother as he slid her his beer. Another one appeared before him, replacing the one he had just given away.

"It's weird," Jamie admitted.

"What is?" he asked, glancing at her before looking back up at the television.

"This," she stated. "Being here. With you. And I'm older than you. How did that happen?"

"I died at a younger age," he said. "But you're still my baby sister, Jay. So don't think you have any power over me!"  
Jamie just rolled her eyes again.

"Your eyes are back to normal," he informed her.

"They are?" she asked, head snapping to look at him in shock.

"Yeah, reverted back."

The thought of being normal again was weird. She had longed for just that for who know's how long. She wanted to feel normal, to have her eyes back. To not glow in the dark. But now that

"So I'm completely normal again here," she muttered.

"You sound disappointed," Everett pointed out.

"Maybe a little," Jamie said.

"Care to explain?" he asked.

Jamie sighed, trying to find the words to describe it. "It's just...I've gotten so used to having it. It's weird," she tried to clarify. "It's warm moving. It's like it's alive. And now that it's not there, I just feel empty. That there's nothing inside. It's like when you're in a wave pool for a long period of time and you step out onto solid ground and you still feel like you should be in the water, or like you were on a massage chair and then you get up and you miss the movement and the feeling that was there."

"So you got used to the thing inside. You started to accept it," he said.

"I guess so," Jamie admitted. "It wasn't as bad of a thing as I thought. I mean, I saved people today with it. It couldn't be all bad then, could it?"

"You did good today, Jay," he said. "And it is what you make of it."

"What do you mean?"

"If you wanted to use it for bad, you would. So it's be a bad thing. But you didn't. You used to to save people. You fought to protect others with it, so you made it a good thing. It's all your perspective and your use."

"I never thought of it that way," she admitted.

"Nope, and that's why I'm the older one,"

"That doesn't make any sense," Jamie pointed out.

"Shut up," he grumbled. "And why the hell didn't you tell me you knew Captain Fuckin' America?"

"You were dead?" Jamie pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And I don't think he'd appreciate you calling him that."  
"Really? No shit Sherlock," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Doesn't mean you still couldn't have told me."

"You're _impossible_ , Ev."

"Well, go on! What's he like?"

"He's," Jamie started to say, her eyes going to the television screen to see him quickly putting his hand to his ear. She couldn't hear what was being said because the volume was too low. "He's sweet. And Strong. And everything you thought he'd be."

"Wow," Everett mumbled, sitting back in his stool. He lifted his hand, a remote placed in it. he turned the volume up so that they could hear what was going on. "I'll hate you forever if you make this guy feel bad, kiddo."

"You and me both," she murmured back.

" _Romanoff? What's the situation? What's going on? The battle's over," Steve asked._

As if it were a real TV show, Jamie and Everett could hear everything that was being said on the comm. links so they wouldn't miss out on a single moment of action and entertainment. The scene shifted to Natasha, who had begun CPR on Jamie to try and revive her.

" _Private Roe is down. I repeat, Jamie is down!"_

 _Steve froze, his eyes looking towards the rest of the group for answers that they didn't have. "Wh-What do you mean she's down? She was back at the helicarrier!"_

" _You expected her to just stay there?" Stark said. "She obviously showed up to crash the party."_

" _What happened?" Clint asked his fellow assassin._

" _I couldn't close the barrier on my own wit Loki's scepter. Jamie had to use herself as a separator for the energy flow. It weakened it enough so that we could shut it down."_

" _She told me she would wait until the last possible moment," Steve muttered more to himself than to anybody else. It was obvious by the expression on his face that her death had hit him hard. After all, he said it himself, she was the first good friend he had had since Bucky. "Damnit!" he yelled, taking his shield and hitting it on the ground, wedging it in the road._

"I hate you forever," Everett stated.

"I'd hate me too," she agreed. "I-I just, I can't believe he's taking it that hard."

"What do you expect?" Ev asked. "I mean, the guy cares about you. And now you're gone and he's alone again. Dammit, Jamie. Why'd you have to do that to the poor guy!" Everett wasn't really upset that she had hurt Steve, more so because it was his boyhood hero. He was just trying to get the point across that there were people there that cared for her.

"If here was any other way, I would have done it," she admitted. "But-"

"No buts," he said. "You did the right thing, Jamie. Don't second guess yourself. You saved lives. Saved _Earth_. You're a hero in my books. Just like all of them."

"Yeah, they did manage to work together pretty well, didn't they?" she said, smiling softly at the screen.

"And that was all you're doing," he said. "You're all a bunch of stubborn pigheaded shits. You shouldn't be in the same room let alone on the same team," Ev pointed out. "But that's the definition of family. And that's why you've gotta go back there. They need you, Jay."

"Go back?" Jamie asked. "Ev, you said it yourself: I'm dead. I can't just come back from the dead!"

"Sure you can! People do it all the time!"

"You're insane."

"I'm not insane. I'm just dead. There's a difference."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. _My bad_."

"Yes, your bad," he said, pulling her up from her stool. "Now go!"

"How?"

"I don't know! I never came back from the dead before!"

"Neither have I!"

"Figure it out!"

" _You_ figure it out!"

"No! You're the one going back!"

"You're supposed to be helping me!"

"Oh yeah? Who said that?"  
"I don't know! You're the one that's always popping up when I'm about to die!"

"That's because you're stupid and almost die a lot!"

"Oh, that's not the point!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"  
"God, I miss you!" Everett yelled, pulling Jamie into a hug.

Jamie froze. She had expected more yelling, not a hug. But she hugged him back nonetheless, burying her head in his chest. "I miss you too, Ev," she told him. "I love you, you know that. Right?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, kissing the top of her head over her brown hair. "I love you too, Jameson."

"I hate it when you call me that."

"Get over it."

"Shut up. You're ruining the moment."

"What moment? We weren't having a moment. I don't do that mushy crap."

Jamie just rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, bro."

"You have to go back now, Jay. Make us proud."

"For you?" Jamie chuckled, leaning up to place a gently kiss on her brother's cheek. " _Always_."

* * *

Natasha had just given up on compressions on Jamie. There was no use in trying to continue. Jamie wasn't coming back. She was dead and there wasn't anything else Nat could do to try and change that. She ran a hand threw her hair, giving Selvig a look telling him that she was gone.

Or so they thought.

In that exact moment, Jamie's eyes shot open. A loud gasped for air made Natasha and Selvig's heads to shoot back to Jamie. Natasha was at her side a second later, helping the young woman sit up as Jamie gasped and coughed. It took several minutes for Jamie to finally be able to breathe evenly and normal.

"That's impossible," Selvig muttered. "You were dead."

Jamie glanced up at him, squinting due to the sun behind him. "Didn't you get the memo?" she croaked out. Her throat was painfully dry. "Nobody stays dead these days."

Natasha just scoffed and shook her head. "It's good to have you back, Roe."

"Thanks, Romanoff," Jamie said, nodding. "And thanks for the CPR." The brunette placed a hand on her chest, rubbing slightly. The movement, though very simple, was incredibly difficult to perform. "I'm gonna have bruises," she muttered, though her tone was light and teasing to show that she was joking around with the redhead.

Romanoff just rolled her eyes and put her hand to her ear. "I've got bad news for you, Rogers," she said. There was a pause before she smirked and said, "Jamie's alive." Again, more silence. "It's bad because she's making bad jokes."

"They're not bad," Jamie protested. "They're to die for!"

"Oh please relieve me of this torture," she groaned.

It was that moment that Steve burst through the door leading to the roof where they all were with Clint huffing behind him. Tony, Thor and the Hulk were all absent from the party. His eyes scanned the rooftop until they landed on Jamie and Natasha sitting on the ground.

Jamie looked terrible and she knew it. Her skin had completely turned a deep ash gray. Her hair was matted and greasy. Her skin caked in sweat, dirt and blood. Her eyes were red, and back to their normal green selves.

"You," Steve sighed, "are," he hesitated, shaking his head with a relieved, exhausted smirk, "exhausting, you know that?"

"I don't know if I've ever been called exhausting being," she admitted. "Though I am exhausted."

"Well, you are," he said, making his way over to where she was sitting. He painfully knelt down beside her and gave her a soft smile. "I'm glad you still here, Jamie."

"So am I," she said. "Though I wasn't for a little while there."

"So much for waiting until the last possible chance," he pointed out.

"No, I think I did," she said. "We had a way to close it. We had to take it. You and I both know that, Steve."

"Perhaps we should go take Loki into custody," Natasha said, pushing up to her feet.

"Can somebody help me up?" Jamie asked. "I can't stand."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Steve answered. He knelt down before her and said. "It, uh, would be easiest if you got on, uh…"  
"Steve, Honey, relax," she said, grabbing onto his shoulders as he lifted her up. "It's just a piggy back ride."

"Right…" he muttered.

"Well isn't that cute," Natasha muttered with a smirk. "The children are playing together."

"Oh, shut up," Jamie muttered with a blush, hiding her face behind Steve's large shoulder.

Once they made it into Stark's living room, they noticed Loki struggling to get up. He was dragging himself on the floor and used a couple of steps there that went up to the bar area to turn around and sit up. That was when he noticed all of the heroes standing behind him, watching him with glares.

"If it's all the same to you," Loki started to say, "I'll have that drink now."

* * *

"I think we should get Jamie some medical attention before we even think-" Steve protested as the group started to make their way down the street. Loki had just been taken into custody by SHIELD. Again. And the team was now heading to get something to eat upod Tony's insistence.

"Steve, I already died and came back, I don't think we really need to rush. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," Jamie assured, tightening her hold around his neck for added reassurance.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," Bruce muttered.

"Oh, hush," Jamie shushed playfully, though obviously still in a great deal of pain still. "Nobody asked for a consultation, Doctor."

"I think we should listen to Dr. Banner." Steve insisted.

"Oh, come on! Please?" she begged. "I've been inside that med bay far more than I care too. Can't I just stay out a little longer?"

"And now she sounds like a teenager," Natasha put in.

"That's because you're all treating me like I am one," Jamie pointed out. "I want to go with you guys to shwiwada."

"Shawarma," Tony corrected.

"Now you _really_ sound like a teenager." Natasha murmured with a slight chuckle.

"What is shawarma anyway?" Jamie asked

"Beats me," Tony said. "I just saw the place and want to try it."

"Sounds reasonable to me," she said. "Do you think it'll be open though? I mean, we did just get attacked by aliens."

"Only one way to find out." Clint shrugged.  
It turned out that the place was still open, only having minimal damage done during the battle. The owners were also nice enough to block off the restaurant to ensure no press came to bug them. And the group soon found out that shawarma was lamb, chicken, turkey, or beef sandwiched in pita or wrapbread, with chopped or shredded vegetables, pickles and assorted condiments.

The group ordered and sat there in silence until the food came. And when it came, the group ate in awkward silence as well. It was practically unbearable to Jamie. She loved silence, but this just wasn't the time to not talk about what had just happened. She had learned that the hard way from her past experiences.

"This is really good," Clint grunted, finally breaking the silence.

"I know, definitely coming here again." Bruce nodded, speaking around a mouthful.

Jamie had barely eaten half of her's. She really liked it, but she was in a state where the pain was making her tired and not hungry. She fiddled with her food, disassembling it to make it look like she ate more than she really did as she looked up, paying more attention to the group now than what was in the little plastic basket.

"I agree," Jamie added.

"You've barely eaten any of it," Steve pointed out.

"I'm good, Steve," Jamie assured.

"You feeling okay?" Steve asked her.

"She died, of course she'd not feeling okay," Natasha muttered without looking up from her plate.

"I'd say it's not the first time, but it was," Jamie said. "I've almost died, but haven't actually died."

"You're avoiding the question," Bruce pointed out.

"Again, no consultation needed, Bruce," Jamie said, giving the man a pointed look, but they all knew she wasn't being disrespectful to him or anything. Just teasing and slightly annoyed that she couldn't get away with it.

"Fine, I feel like shit, but I'd rather be here than anywhere else," she said. "Happy?"

"I don't think that's the word but we'll go with that." Steve sighed.

Jamie nudged him with her elbow, giving him a reassuring smile and a half-assed wink before leaning back in her chair.

"Okay, so I gotta ask," Tony said, looking up at Jamie. "Has anybody ever told you that you look _exactly_ like Barbara Palvin?"

Jamie sat there looking at him oddly for a moment. She hadn't known where that had come from, and she had no idea who this Barbara Palvin was. " _Who_?" she asked.

" Barbara Palvin!" he repeated, his expression indicating shock that nobody knew who she was.

"I have no idea who that is," Jamie stated.

Tony sighed and grumbled, leaning on his arm as she mumbled, "Nevermind."

* * *

 **I didn't want to do anything too heavy for the Shawarma scene. They're all just tired, and nobody really wants to talk about what happened, even though they know they probably should (or Jamie thinks so, at least). But I hope you liked the conclusion of the Phase One, how Marvel puts it, and there is more to come, so stay tuned. There are quite a few things that happen before I start Captain America, Winter Soldier. And when that comes, it'll be in a new story. But I'll let everybody know when that happens.I also post the last chapter of one story with the first chapter of the next story, so there's something to go straight to. But like I said, that's not for a while.**

 **I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for being so supportive of this story and for your lovely reviews. You guys helped my week turn out much better than how crappy it started out. It was a really bad week filled with tears and everything, so I just really wanted to thank you guys for helping bring me back up again. You guys are the best! Love you all!**

Thanks to the following for their review(s) on the last chapter(s):

 _ **AvengersPrincess15** _ \- I'm so glad you found it all so emotional. I was afriad that it wouldn't be. I tried my best to make it as painful as possible...Wow, doesn't that just make me sound like a wonderful person? Anyway, I'm really glad you liked it. Hope you liked her rival just as much as her death.

 _ **shugokage** _ \- Yay! It was interesting. I'm sl glad you thought it was a good chapter.

 _ **Jelsa777** _ \- Of course I left you hangin'! Hope you liked this chapter as much as her death!

 _ **TheHungryRainbow** _ \- Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. ;) On the bright side, Jamie's not dead anymore? Does that make everything better?

 _ **Mi-**_ _ **chan1991**_ \- Oh, I hope this was early enough for you. I actually always planned on updating about a day or so after that last chapter. I knew people would be all worked up about her death, whether or not they expected it or not. At least she's alive again though, right? That, again, was always my intention. I couldn't kill her off before I actually had her getting together with Steve, now could I?

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- I'm so glad you loved it! I was so worried that I wouldn't get the feelings across, but apparently according to you and pretty much everybody else, I succeeded. Yeah, Colin Greer is going to be an interesting element into the mix. You'll be seeing him next chapter, actually. So you don't have to wait too long to see where I'm going with that whole thing. Oh, Everett isn't gone either...Just saying... (Can't wait for more of your updates too. Love your stories!)

 _ **Guest1**_ \- I hope this was quick enough for you! I know you really wanted an update!

 _ **animelover78861** _ \- Oh yay! You liked it. Hope you liked this one just as much.

 _ **Guest2** _ \- Soooo, she's not dead anymore...That's always been the plan. I always wanted to kill her and bring her back. Hope you liked how it all worked out.

 _ **WaywardandWanderlust** _ \- I'm sooo glad you liked it. Hope the update was quick enough for you to find out what happened next.

 ** _Jo_** \- Really? You didn't expect her to die? Well, at least she's back now. And yeah, the Thanos scene just came to me right before it was posted. I thought it was a nice little touch and it would help bring in future elements of the MCU. And yes, go do your homework...I probably should go to that too at some point.


	21. Date

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. I only own Jamie and Colin and her fellow OCs.**

* * *

Chapter 21  
Date

By Friday, Jamie's coloring had regained a significant amount of her normal coloring back from gray. She was still extremely pale, and her abilities had not returned, meaning that her eyes were green instead of blue, but for the most part, she was returning to normal. She hadn't been permitted to leave the helicarrier yet, or even return back to work, but she snuck out anyway, needing a breathe of fresh air and a change of scenery.

The bar was small, and hadn't received much damage during the Battle of New York. It was much darker than Jamie would have preferred, but she wasn't complaining.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come," CC said, standing up from his bar stool when he saw Jamie enter.

Greer was dressed imply, but relatively nice looking. He wore a simple navy blue buttoned shirt, left unbuttoned with a black tee-shirt under. He donned a dark pair of jeans, going along with the same color scheme of his tops. His hair was slightly messy, which she figured was from running his hands through his hair as he impatiently waited for her to arrive.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd come either," she admitted. "But I'm not a liar. So here I am." She took up the seat beside him.

"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked.

"Uh, just a water, please," she answered awkwardly.

"Are you sure I can't get you something with, id don't know, more alcohol?" CC asked.

"No, that's okay," she answered. "I don't drink."'

"Damnit, I should have picked a better date place," he said. "I'm not doing too well, am I?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "You're doing fine," she said. " _I_ should be the one that's nervous. Which I am. It's been a _long_ time since I've been on an actual date."

"Really? You coulda fooled me!" he assured, trying to gain points. "And with how gorgeous you are, I can't believe guys aren't asking you out left and right."

"I've been out of the country for the better part of the last several years," she informed him.

"You have?" CC asked. "Doing what?"  
"I was in the military," she said.

"Really? I should have expected something like that, I guess," he admitted. "I mean, with the way you fought during the invasion and all…"

"I've gotta say, I'm glad to see you made it out alright," Jamie said. "How are you holding up with all that?"

"Beats me," he answered honestly. "I'm still trying to process everything, I guess."

"Yeah, aliens is kind of a new thing for me too," she muttered.

"Yeah, and add in the fact that there was a giant green monster, Captain Fucking-America, Iron Man, and you, Solace? A whole group of superheroes; Avengers? Nothing's the same."

"Don't let Steve hear you say fuck," Jamie laughed. "He's a bit old fashion like that."

"And you swear?"

"Oh, honey, I'm a Marine," she laughed. "I've got the mouth of a sailor."

"Is that so?" CC laughed. "Well, I look forward to witnessing that mor- Holy crap I don't know your name!"

Jamie laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, I guess you don't. You just know me as Solace."

"Well, let's start again," he said. He stuck his large hand out for Jamie to take. "I'm CC. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss…"

"Roe," she said, taking his hand with a smirk. "Jamie Roe."

"Jamie," he said, smirking at her, looking her straight in the eyes. "I like that."

"Thank you, I'm quite fond of my nickname," she admitted.

"Nickname? What's Jamie short for?"

"Jameson, but if you ever call me that, I swear to God, I'll kick your butt," she pretended to threaten.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. I wouldn't want a superhero after me. Though maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be hunted by such a beautiful woman," he flirted.

Jamie, to her own surprise, giggled and blushed, looking away from the hazel eyed cop before her. "Smooth, Greer, Smooth."

"I aim to please," he admitted.

"Well, it pleases," she assured. "A girl could get used to hearing that from a handsome cop."

"Oh really?" he inquired. "So we'll be doing this again?"

"I don't know," she said. "We haven't finished this one yet."

"Well, then I better keep the compliment flowing," he joked.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Jamie questioned.

"You just did, but go ahead," he chuckled.

"What does CC stand for?" she asked.

"Oh, my first name and middle name," he answered. "Colin Curtis."

"And why don't you go by Colin?"

"Don't know," he said. "Most people have always just called me CC."

"I kinda like the sound of Colin," she admitted. "Can I call you that?"

"Sure, you and only you," he said.

"Oh, trying to be cute now, are you?" Jamie teased.

"Is it working?" he asked.

"Very much so," she admitted.

"Good, I'd hate to let you get away," he said. "Or mess something as nice as this up."

"You know what? Me too, Colin. I'd hate to mess this up."

* * *

Jamie, for the most part, had avoided anybody from seeing her as she snuck back into the med bay of the helicarrier. She got back to her bed and laid down. The trip into the city was far more tiring that she would have thought. Then again, she still wasn't back to one hundred percent, so it was understandable. Plus, spending two hours out of bed while she was ordered to bedrest probably wasn't smartest thing to do.

It wasn't until right after she changed back into her sweats and tee-shirt and got back in bed that someone stormed into her private room on the helicarrier, their feet pattering against the metal floor at an accelerated rate, indicating the urgency. Her back was to them, so she turned over to see brilliant blue eyes looking down at her with a harsh scold.

"Steve, what do I owe the pleasu-?" she started to ask.

Steve's hand was instantly in the air in a stop motion, cutting her question off like a sword swing. "What were you thinking?"

"Uh, I was thinking that I-"

"No, Jamie you were out of bed for two hours after you were specifically told-"

"I was on a date! Okay?" Jamie yelled, trying to get a complete sentence in before getting interrupted by Steve again.

Steve was quiet for a moment, obviously being thrown off by that. His cheeks flushing a bit but his eyes showed no give in resolve. "That doesn't change the fact that you were supposed to be in bed. This isn't meant to be taken lightly."

"I just…" Jamie sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I've been in this bed for God knows how long. And I'm tired of everybody looking at me like I'm _broken_. I just, I promised this guy that if we both lived, we'd go out together, so I went. I just needed to feel _normal_ again. Okay?"

"I understand being stir crazy, I just about wrote the book on it. But this is your health we're talking about here. Your _health._ I understand you don't like being babied or have you dying brought up. But it happened and it's a serious situation!" Steve snapped at her. "You we're broken. You could have gotten a hold of him and explained to situation and rescheduled." Steve crossed his arm.  
"I didn't want to," she stated. "I'm fine, Steve. honestly. I'm just _tired_."

"That's the bodies way of telling you you're not fine, Jamie. I'm thinking this was more of a statement to me and SHIELD than actual stir crazy."

"Maybe, maybe not," Jamie said. "Yeah, I don't like being babied. And I don't like it when nobody takes my side of the story. I know my own body, Steve. Yeah, maybe it's only been this way for less than a year, but that's long enough for me to know that it's just recharging and building up. I know that the energy is still there."

"This isn't something we want to leave to thought, you know. These are professionals and while they may not know your body, they are best equipped to handle it if it goes wrong, whether you feel like it will or won't," Steve said his anger rolling back in, as he breathed to himself. "Now I just wanted to say my piece. Cause I know my word on this isn't worth two cents. But that's what I have to say." he said.

"Of course what you have to say means something to me, Steve," Jamie assured him. "You're important to me. You know that. And it's incredibly sweet that you care and worry."

Steve glanced away from her, his hand going to the back of his neck once more "I'm just saying, when you pull stuff like this and then get aggravated when we threat...you spoke about your side of the story. But look at _ours_. What if it had been Romanoff, or Tony? You'd be in my shoes right now, if not tying them to the bed," Steve said trying to get her to see both of their views.

Jamie completely ignored the blatant comment she could make about getting tired to the bed, seeing as Steve wouldn't take it as we as, say, Tony, Johnny or James and one of her modern soldier friends. She moved over and patted the space next to her for Steve to sit down. "Okay, I see your point,' Jamie said. "But really, Steve. I'm not dying. I'm alive. And I could be doing this exact same thing in my apartment right now. Someone else that needs this bed more than I do could have it. I'm just taking up space."

"There you go again, you wonder why we get… I don't want to say angry because it's not that. I guess I'm saying frustrated. We try to help in the ways we can and you shrug it off with good intentions."

"I wouldn't shrug it off if you managed to get me on bedrest at home and came to check on me with Amir," Jamie tried to persuade, nudging him with her shoulder. "We could watch movies. Get you caught up on some classics if you want. Or I can show you how to use Google and YouTube like you asked."

Steve sighed through his nose, a habit she was easily getting used to since he did it so much. "Yeah, yeah that's fine. Nothing else to do after the end of the world was supposed to happen."

"Steve?" Jamie asked. She knew she was getting on his nerves. She knew she was being difficult, but she knew she was entitled to her opinion. She knew they had their own points. "Thanks for being concerned. I know I'm being difficult. And it means a lot to me that you're busting my balls on this, even if I don't completely agree."

"Yeah, yeah don't mention it." Steve smiled slowly and weakly but the expression was honest enough. "How was the date you had to break the rules for?"

Jamie smirked and looked down at her hands. "It was really good actually," she admitted. "Colin's a sweet guy. A flirt that puts his foot in his mouth quite a bit, but he's a good guy. I think you'd like him. He's a cop."

"And that means I'd like him?" he asked.

"Well, I figured you'd respect someone that's willing to risk their life for others," Jamie offered.

"I do, but just like with soldiers, a cop might not be a great guy," Steve said. "I knew a lot of good soldiers that weren't good men."

"I guess you have a point," Jamie muttered, nodding. "But as far as I can see, Colin's a good guy. And I like him. I uh, actually gave him my number and he said he'd call to make another date."

"Oh," Steve muttered, sounding rather shocked at hearing that. "So you really did like him then."

"Yeah, I wouldn't make another date with him if I didn't like him," she answered with a chuckle.  
"Well, that's, uh, good then, I guess," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You okay there?" Jamie asked. He sure was rubbing the back of his neck a lot. "You seem a little antsy."

"Did he, uh, What I mean to ask is, uh I um," Steve stuttered out. "Was he nice- respectful I mean?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I mean, he's not you-nice, but yeah he was polite. Refused to let me pay for half the bill and whatnot."

Steve seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Good. Barton has been going on and on how different the dating scene is than my time. It had me worried."

"I mean, it is different, but, well, I have no idea what I'm talking about," she said with a shrug. "I don't date much to begin with, and I have no idea what it was like to date in the '40's so…"

"But he didn't do anything right?" Steve asked her, just wanting one last assurance. "Like didn't come on too strong or make you feel uncomfortable. I know you said he was a nice guy and everything but even nice guys...uh...well have a weakness for pretty girls."

"No, he didn't try anything. I mean, he kissed my cheek when we left, but that was it and it wasn't really unwelcomed," she answered. She leaned forward, a small blush and smirk on her lips. "You think I'm pretty?"

"W-Well yeah. And a natural one too...am I not allowed to think so?" Steve murmured softly, his head ducking a bit shyly.

"No, I-I'm flattered," she told him, trying to make him feel better. "I mean, look at you, Steve! Such a sweet, respectable guy that's incredibly handsome just said I was pretty. How could I not be flattered?"

"Y-yeah well you remember I wasn't always thought to be handsome." Steve murmured.

"Well, anybody with your character then," Jamie corrected before waving him off. "And I'm sure you weren't that bad. You were probably _adorable_."

"Don't use that word! You know that's a good way to mean 'I like you as a brother'." He laughed.

"Really?" Jamie asked. "I honestly didn't know that. If I think someone's adorable, it just means I think they're cute and well, adorable. I think a lot of people are. I'd date someone that's adorable."

"Well the girls in the 40's didn't want that. They want a well..soldier. And that got a lot of them in trouble. Like I said some good soldiers weren't good men." He said nodding.

"Right," Jamie nodded. "Well, if you ask me, anybody would be lucky to have a guy like you, Steve."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." he smiled.

"Okay, so wanna play Uno?" Jamie asked, reaching over to the table and grabbing a deck of cards.

"I'm game." Steve nodded.

* * *

 **So there we have it. The date with Colin and a slight freak out from Steve. Hope you guys liked it. There is more to come in the dating work too...The next chapter, actually. Anyway, hope you guys liked it and let me know what you guys think.**

 **OH! SEMI-IMPORTANT NOT REALLY BUT MIGHT INTEREST SOME OF YOU! Jamie and Steve are obviously friends and whatnot here, so they're going to still be seeing each other and handing out as the story progressed. Everybody knows Steve is trying to catch up on modern things, so if there is anything you guys want to see him and Jamie do/watch/catch up on specifically, let me know. I have a small list (maybe not so small), but I'm interested to see what you guys would want to see. Not saying I'd get to everything, but I'll do my best. Thank!**

Thanks go to the following for their review(s) on the pervious chapter(s):

 _ **Mi-Chan1991-**_ That's the first I've ever been called wily. ;) I'm glad you liked the chapter!

 ** _AvengersPrincess15_** \- Lol, you really made me laugh. Yes, she's okay. Never really planned on killing her forever. And yeah, the Phase 1 is done, kind of. There are still a good deal of chapters to have in Solace before I go into Condolence (which is the sequel). But I just hope they it stays one of your favorites. It's really great to hear that. Thanks!

 _ **las131984**_ \- Ooooh, I'm so glad you really like the story. It's so cool to hear people say they do this for my story, because I do it to other stories and it just so cool. I hope you liked the update! Thank you so much for the review!

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- I really love Everett. Somehow the brother characters I write always end up being pretty much exactly like him, or Elliot in one of my other stories. It just naturally happens that way. But I'm really glad you like him. I couldn't resist the horrible jokes. Even if they didn't really seem realistic for someone that came back to life. I just can't help it. I'm a pun/corny joke lover. Hope you liked Colin, becuase you'll be seeing him in the next chapter too.

 _ **Jesla777**_ -AHAHAH, I seriously cracked up at your "to die for" comment. I'm that one person that looooove corny jokes and whatnot so...Hope you liked what I gave ya!

 ** _TheHungryRainbow_** \- Yes, she's alive! But she's more gray than green like Frankenstein. But sweet! She's cooler than an awesome monster.

 _ **KEEZ 1 -**_ I'm so glad you liked the story. Hope you liked the new update.

 _ **Day**_ \- Yeah, more people were shocked about her death than I thought would be. But I'm really glad you liked it, as well as her interaction with her brother. There will be more from her brother at some point in the series.

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- That's okay. I'm just glad you got to read that chapter! I'm sorry about your computer though. Hope it gets fixed for ya! Yeah, Jamie's always trying to lighten the mood. Being locked up made her realize how important not taking the situation that seriously is, which sounds weird, but makes sense. Oh, and that is soooooo Everett.  
Oh, and Barbara Palvin isn't really that important. She's the just the person I kind of picked to "play" Jamie. She's a model.

 ** _PiratePrincess16_** \- Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Hope the update was soon enough. I try to do it regularly around the weekend.


	22. Round 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. Just Jamie and the OCs.**

* * *

Chapter 22  
Round 2

" _Are you really okay having our date in a bar again?"_ Colin asked his voice playing in her ear over the phone as she sat on her living room couch with the television playing with the volume muted.

Colin was calling from his patrol that evening to make their next date plans. Apparently him and his partner, Officer Blake, were on their dinner break grabbing dinner at a diner. He took a minute to call before the food came to call her, seeing as it had been on his mind ever since he had gotten her number at the end of their last date.

It had only been a couple days since their date but a great deal had happened. Jamie had been released from the medical bay and sent home, though the whole bed-rest things was still aggravatingly in place. She was being a relatively good little patient though. She stayed either in bed or on the couch or chair in the living room for the most part. She'd really only get up and do stuff if she required food or a bathroom break, or to wash the dishes, seeing as she didn't have a dishwasher, and the dishes could certainly pile up when one was basically a human battery. She needed the energy, so she was always hungry.

Cleanup around the city was moving remarkably fast, or so the news depicted on the various new channels Jamie often left on while she did whatever the heck she felt like doing with her time off. She had called in to the Baxter Building and told them she was going to be out on medical due to the events of the Battle of New York, and even had Amir fax over a medical note, to which lead them all to bombard her with questions. She avoided the questions rather well as well.

Union Allied Construction had been contracted for the cleanup, and for repairs after SHIELD rounded up all the alien shit they could get their hands on first, of course. It had only been about a week after what happened and Grand Central Station, as well as a two block radius was already cleared up completely. Construction was scheduled for next week, if everything was on schedule.

Jamie had never seen a construction crew so timely and on schedule. Then again, it had only been a week.

But things were very slowly, but surely, getting back to somewhat normal for New York City. They'd never be completely the same, not after that, but it was getting better.

" _Jamie?"_

"Oh, shit," she muttered, shaking her head and her green eyes tore off of the television screen. "Sorry Colin, I got distracted by the news," she admitted "And meeting at Josie's again sounds fine to me. It's not like I'm an alcoholic that's trying to stay away from bars. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean you can't."

" _You sure?"_ he asked. " _I feel bad."_

"You really shouldn't," she chuckled. "I've got no problem with it."

" _As long as you're sure,"_ he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to it, honestly," she said.

" _You are? Really?"_ he asked, sounding rather shocked at her statement.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she questioned curiously.

" _I don't know,"_ he admitted. " _You're just. you're_ you _. Incredible superhero you and I'm just little Officer Greer."_

"First of all, you're not really all that little," Jamie pointed out. "Secondly, yes I'm mean. Thank you for pointing that our Captain Obvious. I'm just me, Colin. Nothing fancy. And lastly, you're an incredibly sweet, funny guy that I just so happen to like. So yeah, I'm excited to go on another date with you."

" _Damn, when you put it that way,"_ he chuckled. " _No wonder you're going out with me. I'm awesome."_

"Shut up," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

" _Nah, I prefer to keep talking to you,"_ he said. " _I like talking to you."_

"I like talking to you too, but you have to eat dinner and get back to work," she pointed out.

" _Uh, don't remind me,"_ he groaned. " _Can't I just-"_

"No," she interrupted.

" _Fine,"_ he sighed dramatically again. " _I'll see you this weekend then."_

"That you will," she said. "Be safe out there, Colin.

" _Thanks Jamie, I will,"_ Colin replied.

* * *

There was a mound of clothes pulled on top of the left side of her bed. She was standing in front of her closet in a simple tank top and a pair of short workout shorts biting her lip as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She didn't know why she was so nervous right now. She hadn't been this nervous the first date!

Why was the second any different?

 _Uh, I'm not the girl that gets worked up about this kind of stuff,_ she scolded herself. _Why are you turning into a fifteen year old?_

It was just another date. Just like the last one. It wasn't like he was some stranger or anything. It was Colin. She had already talked to him. She knew things about him. Why was she so freaked out about the second date?

It was most likely because they already knew things about one another. They new general things, but what if Colin didn't like the news things that he learned about her? What if this date wasn't as good as the last and he lost interest? What if she liked him and he didn't like her? What if she said something stupid and made a complete fool of herself?

Uh, this is too stupid! she scolded herself. She sighed, running a hand through her hair and went to sit on the bed when she heard a knock on her apartment door. She looked out of the bedroom towards the main entrance. She wasn't expecting anyone. She was supposed to meet Colin at Josie's. He wasn't picking her up. In the end she just shrugged and made her way to the door, peeking out through the little peephole to see Steve. She sighed in relieve and threw the door open.

"Oh thank God you're here!" Jamie exclaimed after the door was open. She stepped to the side to let in a rather confused looking Steve, whom she ended up grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and dragging him to her bedroom.

"Uh? Thanks?"

She stopped, as if suddenly realizing she hadn't been expecting him and turned, her green eyes questioning. "Wait, why _are_ you here?" she asked.

"I was returning your book," Steve said holding up the book she let him borrow in an attempt to catch him up with the times. She had let him borrow _The Diary of Anne Frank_. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, thanks," she said, taking the book and tossing it on the couch from behind. "I need your help. I'm going insane, I swear!"

"Okay okay, what's wrong, as in what do you need my help with?" Steve said taking her shoulders.

Jamie groaned, grabbing his hand this time, pulling him towards her bedroom once more. "I have no idea what to wear!"

"And I do?" Steve asked her incredulously.

"No, but you can help me decide," she said. "I mean, please? I'm pulling my hair out. I don't know if this is too formal or if it's too casual. Or if I should wear a dress, but it's just at a bar so it seems a little too excessive. It's only the second date, but I don't want him to think that I'm not putting any effort in, or that I don't care about what he thinks or that I don't care about-"

"Okay okay!" Steve said with a huff as he looked down at the pile of clothes with a look close to panic. "I-I u...well. uh,." he said grabbing a silky looking shirt. "This is a nice color, and it's soft."

 _What, does he think Colin's gonna be feeling me up for something?_ she thought, holding the shirt in front of her as she moved to stand in front of the full length mirror. It was a no sleeve, blue fixed wrap top that would have gone brilliantly with her eyes if they were still blue from the energy. But that didn't really matter. It was a nice top, and she had to admit, it was a good choice.

"You, Steve, are a godsend," Jamie stated. She turned and grabbed a pair of jeans from the bed and turned once more, leaning up to Steve and giving him a grateful kiss on the cheek. "I seriously owe you!" she called, running to the bathroom to change. She popped out a minute later, a brush in hand that ran through her long hair as she met back up with Steve, who was awkwardly shifting on his feet in her room.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable," she told him.

There were clothes on the bed, but Jamie had a window seat with a cushion that she often sat on, or slept on seeing as she found her bed was far too soft after having slept on the ground for so long. She went to the vanity dresser and leaned over, putting on some makeup as she look at him in the mirror.

Steve sat down there twiddling her thumbs looking around the messy room once more, wondering what else she needed from him.

"What did you think of the book?" she asked.

"Well it was rather jarring to be honest. Me and this girl were alive at the same time but...here I am. She seemed like a sweet girl, very honest and humorous. I wished I could have known what kind of woman she would have grown up to be." Steve murmured.

"I know, it so sad, isn't it?" Jamie asked. "The first time I read it I was around the same age she was when she died. She was going through some of the same things I was, but then everything else that a Jewish girl had to go through from your time. It just really hits you."

"Yeah, I wish I could have...stopped it but I know there was no way I could have." Steve murmured. "Some kind of time twisted survival guilt?" he offered a sad smile.

"You did far more than your fair share during the war, Steve," Jamie tried to reassure him. "There wasn't anything you could have done." She turned around after having applied a silvery eye shadow and light mascara and eyeliner natural lip and blush

"Okay, what do you think? Am I presentable?" She held her arms out and turned, as if showcasing.

"Yeah, I like it." Steve smiled. "Classy and comfortable, just like you." he said completely honest.

Jamie blushed and bit her lip. Steve really knew how to make a girl feel like the center of the world. She turned back around and looked at herself one last time before going to the closet. she sat down on the floor with her legs crossed and looked at the shoes lined up on the floor of the closet. "Okay, now I just need shoes."

"Those fuzzy slipper things." Steve said pointing to the grey pair of Toms. "They look comfortable. I never understood how you ladies walked around in those when on a date to the carnival or the park." Steve shrugged.

Jamie smirked as she pulled out the gray and white boat shoes. "It takes practice," she admitted. "And they make you feel empowering, I guess. Plus, they really accentuate legs. Makes the legs and butt look hot," she admitted before realizing she had said that to Steve of all people and not someone from their century.

"I never looked really at ladies butts. Seemed a bit perverse. Though I admit Peggy had lovely legs." Steve nodded. "and she shot guns in those things."

"Damn," Jamie muttered. "That's, okay I'm totally straight and even I think that's hot," she admitted. "And you've really never checked girls out?"

"Well I'm not a saint. But I never really openly stared at figures. But I liked their eyes. Eyes with a cute little nose as well, that scrunches up like a little bunny when she laughs." Steve said. "Does that count?"

 _You are just too perfect, aren't you_ , Jamie thought, openly gaping at the man. She had a deep red blush on her cheeks from that. It wasn't even the most flattering thing ever said, and it wasn't about her. But the way Steve talked about women was just too sweet and kind and, well, everything a girl could ever want a guy to think about them.

"I, uh, it's…" She turned around, clearing her throat and rubbing the back of her neck.

What she would give to have a guy think about her that way. It was cute and pure and genuine; romantic and ideal. If she ever found out someone thought that about her, how could she not swoon and fall instantly for them? It was the thing of romance novels and movies, not real life. Steve was just too good to be true.

"N-Now I'm not a saint, like I said. So I notice other things I just don't really think about them if that makes sense?" Steve asked shyly.

"No, it makes sense," she said, finally turning back. She moved to the bed and sat down, slipping the shoes on as she continued. "It's just, well, you never hear people talk like that. Ever. It's really refreshing to see your perspective and hear your thoughts on, well, _everything_. Not just women in general.

"And the way you talk about women, it's just," she tried to go on. She finally looked up into his blue eyes and went on honestly, "it's what every girl wants to hear. What girl doesn't want a man to not just like her, but think that the little things about her are adorable?"

"Why? I mean, is there something small like that, that you like about this man you are dating? Or about men in general? Bucky liked freckles, he told me in confidence. Said they were like stars on a girl's cheeks. Is there really nothing you can think of like that that you liked about men? " "

"Honestly?" Jamie said, sitting back as she thought about it. "I've never really thought about it, but I guess, this is gonna sound weird, I really love hands," she admitted. "Like, I always end up holding hands and say if we're sitting together and holding hands," she put her hands out in front as if to demonstrate, "I'll draw shapes and stuff on their skin with my fingers, or fiddle with their fingers." She put her hands back in her lap. "My last boyfriend hated it though. He'd always let go or scold me for it so I just thought it was a weird thing I did."

"There's nothing wrong with liking that. And I don't see why people don't say they like something. Nothing is wrong with being honest and people won't know until you say something about it. People aren't mind readers." He chuckled. "And that just shows he wasn't the right guy for you."

"Definitely wasn't," she muttered. "Thanks for helping me out though, Steve. I really appreciate it. I don't know why I was so nervous. I don't have anything to be nervous over." She was starting to ramble on again, indicating that she was still rather nervous about the date. "I mean, it's gonna be fun, right? Well have a good time and he'll like me and…"

"It's okay, I understand first date jitters." He smiled.

"It's been a long time since I've dated," she said.

"Not as long as me." Steve said a bigger smiling slipping on her face.

"I'm sure you'd be fine," she assured. "I mean, just say what you just told me and you'll have any girl you want eating out of the palm of your obscenely strong hands."

Steve grinned bigger having said hands in the air at her. "Well for that compliment you can draw shapes on my obscenely strong hands anytime you want."

Jamie snorted rather unladylike and rolled her eyes. "Tease," she shot at him with a smirk. "Oh, hey, you like to draw, right?" she asked.

"Hm? Yeah." He nodded slowly. "It's one of my favorite things."

Jamie got up and got on the floor next to her bed, reaching under it. She slid out a plastic container with various things and opened it. She pulled out three thick sketchbooks and put them on the floor next to her before putting the bin away once more. "I found these in my old things in storage. I used to have some sketch books that I'd write in. You know, notes and schedules and whatnot. I never really used them though and they're in great shape." She held them up for Steve to take. "I thought you'd like them."

"Woah, thanks!" Steve said grabbing them from her as she handed them over. "These are good quality!" he grinned as he flipped through them, feeling the paper.

"Don't mention it," she said. "Just draw me something nice," she joked.

"Definitely. With these I'll draw things for the entire team." Steve smiled. "Even Tony."

Jamie laughed. "No, don't tell him that! It'll go to his head and we don't need that," she said. "And don't draw me! I don't pictures. I won't look good in a drawing either!"

"You will, but I'll honor your request and find something different." Steve nodded.

"I can't wait to see something though," she admitted. "I've never had a friend that's a good artist before."

"I'll get something to you quick then." he promised. "Good luck on your date."

"Thanks," she said. "And I'll call you either tonight or tomorrow to make plans. We gotta start catching you up on pop culture references and the classics everybody has to see."

"You got it," Steve said giving her a thumbs up.

"Have a good night," Jamie told him, giving him a goodbye kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for all your help. I'd still be stuck if it weren't for you."

"No problem. See you tomorrow." he said and walked out the door clutching her gift tightly.

* * *

"Really, so it's just gone?" Colin asked.

"Well, it's not gone gone," she admitted. "It's hard to explain. It's like I'm in recharge. I can still feel the energy, but it's not strong enough at the moment to actually use or anything. It's why my eyes are green instead of blue right now."

"I did notice that," he admitted. "Either way your eyes are stunning."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Jamie giggled.

"That's good to know," he joked.

"Hey, CC!"

Colin and Jamie's eyes were pulled away from one another and to the voice calling out to Colin. Walking up to meet the two was a round redheads and right behind him, with a walking stick was another man. This man was much leaner, muscular, with dark features.

"Hey, Foggy! Matt! How's it going guys?" CC greeted, slapping redhead on the shoulder affectionately. "How's Landman and Zack treating you?"

"Don't get me started on that place with their corporate mongrels," Foggy groaned. "Plus, can't really talk about open cases."

"I understand that," Colin said with a nod.

"Who's your friend?" the other man said.

"Oh, right," Colin said. "Guys, this is Jamie."

If Jamie took it the wrong way, she could had been upset that Colin forgot about her but instead, she was just glad to see he was having a good time seeing his friends out of the blue. Because she knew for a fact she would have too. She didn't understand the whole jealousy thing. Unexpected things happen. You just have to learn to go with the flow.

"Jamie, this is Foggy and Matt," he finished

"Are you two on a date?" Foggy asked, wrapping his arm around Colin teasingly, like an older brother to a younger.

"Yes, so stop ruining it," Colin jabbed back.

"Really?" Foggy asked. "Way to go CC! She's way out of your league."

"I don't know, I wouldn't say that," Jamie said smirking at Colin.

"Smooth, Roe," he said, though it was very clear that he liked what she said.

"So, tell us a little about yourself, Jamie!" Foggy said, taking the seat next to Colin, while Matt moved to the one on the other side of her.

"Oh, uh, what do you want to know? There's not much to tell," she offered.

Colin snorted knowing very well that she was totally full of bullshit. But he didn't say anything. It wasn't his place to say. Jamie's business was her own. And it was fairly obvious she didn't want people to know Jamie Roe was Solace: Avenger and Savior of New York and Planet Earth (or so the newspapers like to call the Avengers).

"Uh, anything!" Foggy said.

Matt chuckled and went on to be more specific for the girl. "How about where you work?"

"I'm a security guard at the Baxter Building," Jamie answered.

"Really?" Foggy asked. "So you were really close to the fight?"

She shouldn't have been so surprised to have been asked that. The Baxter Building was right in the area of the fighting, so it really shouldn't have, but she was taken off guard when Foggy asked her that.

"Uh, yeah, but I wasn't on duty when it all happened," she admitted honestly.

"Lucky," Foggy said.

"What about you?" she asked. "What were you guys doing?"

"Oh, we were actually in court," Foggy said.

"They're lawyers," Colin informed her. "They work for, uh, who again?"

"Landman and Zack," Matt answered.

"Oh, I've heard of them," Jamie admitted. "They're a really big firm, right? You guys must be pretty good if you're working there."

"Yeah, well, we've been thinking about opening our own practice," Foggy said. "The money's to die for, God the money's perfect.

"But," Matt went into to finish for Fog, "it doesn't feel right."

"It's a very honorable thing to do," Jamie admitted. "Going away from the traditional to follow your own morals and sense of justice. I can back that up and respect it."

"Of course _you_ could," Colin laughed, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Jamie just rolled her eyes and squeezed back, refusing to let go of his hand.

"So, uh, how'd you two meet?" Matt asked.

"Oh, uh, we met during the battle," Colin informed them.

"Really? I thought you said you weren't working," Matt went on.

"Oh, I wasn't working for the Baxter Building," she said. "I was off on medical. I kind of got shot so-"

"You got shot?" Foggy and Colin both gaped.

"Yeah, there was a break in and I was the only one...well, it's a long story. I'm sure you don't want to hear that," Jamie said, shrugging it off as if it wasn't important. And it wasn't to her. It wasn't as big as being held captive for dying during the Battle of New York.

"Ooookay then," Foggy muttered. "So what were you doing to get caught in the fight."

"Oh, I was, uh, you know, working another job," she muttered, picking up her drink and hoping for a change of subject.

"Yeah, she saved my ass, that's for sure," Colin said. "She's a damn good shot."

"I better be, I was a sniper for a good four years in the military before, well, that's another long story," Jamie muttered.

"Who are you?" Foggy asked. "You're like some smokin' hot bad ass, wonder-chick or some- oh my God, you're _you_ ," Foggy stated.

 _Great, Jamie. Because you don't like lying to people Foggy's figured you out and he's gonna freak and cause a scene. Nice going._ Jamie rolled her eyes. "Why does everybody keep pointing out the fact that I'm me?" she asked. "I know who I am. And obviously you do too. But I don't need to be reminded who I am; I didn't forget. But thanks for the reminded."

"I-I can't believe I'm talking to an actual Av-"

"Leeet's not go throwing that name around now, okay?" Jamie interrupted. "Please?"

Foggy didn't drop the subject, but he did drop the volume of his voice. "You're _Solace_?"

"Yes, I believe we've covered that," Jamie said. "Can we not talk about it?"

"B-But you're incredible!" Foggy said. "You guys saved everybody! You're superheros."

"They're still people, Foggy," Matt said. "We owe them a lot, but they deserve for us to treat them as they wish; regular people."

"Thank you, Matt," Jamie said, giving his arm a thankful squeeze.

"Okay, okay, but you met that alien guy, right?" Foggy asked. "The leaders?"

"Loki?" she asked "Yeah, I met him. Shot him too. He's, you know, _out_ there."

"So, what did he want? Really?" Foggy asked.

"Well, Thor thought he was being manipulated by some outside force, but I'm not too sure about that yet. I mean, there's nothing really disproving that, but not a whole lot to prove it either. He just wanted to rule the Earth But, you know, if serving is beneath you, then leading is beyond you. He was strong and had resources, but if you can't do one, you can't do the other," Jamie said. "And I _really_ shouldn't be discussing this."

"So you really fought with Captain America?" Foggy went on. "And Iron Man?"

"Yeah, but could we-"

"How do you do that glowy-thing?"

"It's not _really_ glowing-"

"What did you do to get on the team?"

"I didn't really have much of a choi-"

"Did you get hurt at all? I mean, it didn't really look like you were wearing strong armor or a super suit or anything."

"I died, but that's no-"

"You what?" all three gaped in complete shock.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really supposed to discuss it," Jamie said. "It's kind of classified-"

"So, wait. You said you'd go out with me if we survived, but you died!" Colin stated.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Jamie retorted.

"Thank God for that!" Colin said.  
"But ho-"

"Foggy, stop interrogating the woman," Matt said. "We'll just go over that and leave you two to your date. It was nice to meet you, Jamie," Matt said, trying to pull Foggy away.

"Uh, you too, Matt, Foggy," Jamie said, watching as Foggy protested as he and Matt left. "Well, uh, that was unexpected," she muttered.

"I am so sorry," he apologized.

"Why?" she chuckled.

"Because you should have to be bombarded like that," he answered.

"It's okay," she said. "They're really nice. It was cool to meet some of your friends."

"That's a relief," he said.

"How did you guys meet?" she asked.

"We all went to Columbia University together," Colin answered. "They were obviously law student, but I was a criminal justice major. Had some classes together."

"That's cool," Jamie said. "I never went to college."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I enlisted right after high school," she answered.

"But you've still got friends from when you served, right? It's basically the same thing, or I'm assuming so."

"Only one that I served with," Jamie said. "A lot of my friends died while I was over there."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry Jamie," Colin said. He groaned, rubbing his hands over his face pushing into his eyes tiredly. "I'm not being a very good date tonight, am I?"

"I don't know, you seem like you're doing fine to me," she chuckled.

"Seriously? My friend freaked out over who you are and now I'm bringing up your dead friends. Doesn't seem too good to me."

"Then maybe you should let me be the judge huh?" she said, nudging him with her shoulder. "Because from my point of view, you're not doing too bad."

"What did I do to deserve such an awesome, understanding, "Smokin' hot bad ass, wonder-chick?""

"Or you could just go with Jamie," she pressed.

"Okay, Jamie," he said. "You wanna head out of here? Maybe get some ice cream or something?"

"Yeah, ice cream makes everything better," she laughed.

* * *

"So, was the date still as good as you were saying it was?" Colin asked once they arrived at the main doors of her apartment building.

"Yes, and the ice cream made it better, just like I said it would," she pressed.

Colin smirked, looking down at her. His hands were in his pockets lazily, but in an extremely attractive relaxed way, which made him seem far more confident than Jamie knew he was feeling. He stepped closer to her so that they were barely a foot apart, biting his lip a moment before going on to ask, "Well, is there anything else I can do to make it even better?"

Jamie smirked, biting her lip in nervous anticipation. "I don't know, hotshot. You're the one trying to salvage it. What do you suggest?"

"I could think of a few things," he murmured. One of his hands came out of his pocket and moved to her cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb. "But we could just go with this o-"

Jamie didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. Instead, she reached up and placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down so that his lips met her's. It was a rather simple kiss. A little more forceful than she would have liked, but it was sweet all the same. They pulled back a moment later, both with goofy smirks plastered on their lips after that.

"You talk too much," she chuckled, biting her lip.

"I've been told that before," he admitted. "I'll call you?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"I think that kiss answers that question," she told him.

"Okay, fair enough," he said. He leaned back down, giving her a slightly more confident kiss. He was more prepared for this one, seeing as he was initiating it. It was a little slower two lingered together,content ignoring the people that had to walk around them on the sidewalk. "Goodnight, Jamie."

"Goodnight, Colin," she said. "I expect that call."

"Oh, you'll get it. I promise."

* * *

 **THERE IS A REASON THIS CHAPTER IS OUT EARLY. I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THE IDEA THAT I COULDN'T WAIT SO PLEASE READ THE UNDERLINED STUFF!**

 **I'm really glad you guys like Colin so much. I thought I'd get death threats or something for having the love interest not be Steve (right away). And I'm surprised how many of you actually want to see Steve go on a date too. I mean a lot of you want it to be with Jamie, but eh, beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, you may just get to see a little bit of that next chapter. There will be more Steve. More Johnny. Maybe some Tony if I can fit it in there as well as some development for two different parts of the story to come, one will be fairly obvious when you read it, the other not so much. Anyway, hope you guys like it.**

 **And again, please, if there's anything you guys want to see Steve catch up on/do/watch/read let me know. I've got a list going.**

 _ **ALSO**_ : There is also one other note I want to tell you guys about. Slight spoiler but not really. In the coming story, one of the chapters brings up... ** _FAN FICTION_** because all know if there were real superheroes in the world we would totally right fan fiction for them. So here's the thing, **I wanted to try and capture other people (and your writing styles) in this section of the story. If you would like (and I would really appreciate it) if you would write a little snippet out of an original idea to have Jamie interacting with any member of the Avengers (though Steve would be greatly preferred). The only catch is is that Jamie's name CANNOT be Jamie** (You can create your own name, or just call her Solace, or just go with a play on Solace, like Solicia or something like that) **. Nobody right now really knows Jamie's name, but they do ship her with Cap, going by the shipping name Blue Soldier. They know she's Solace, but that's it. They don't know she's a soldier. They don't know how she got her powers** (so you can make her an alien if you so wish) **So she can be as out of character as you want (preferred) and it can be doing anything (Lemons included) with anybody (can be a lesbian if you so desire). If you are interested let me know through a review or a PM and I would gladly talk to you about it more.**

Thanks goes to the following for their review(s) on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **AvengersPrincess15**_ \- Yeaaaaah, I couldn't do that. Not when she hasn't gotten together with her main love interest yet! That's be bad timing and a horrible romane...One that never existed...You found out more about Colin here. Hope you thought it was interesting. And of course there will be more of him, like I said. Hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **The girl with no life**_ \- We ALL wish the date had been with Steve...I mean, what? Noooo. No we don't! Okay, who am I kidding? Yes we do! But their time will come. I promise. There's a reason for why Colin's in the picture. You'll see! Star Wars was on my list (and his from Cap 2), but I totally spaced on Jurassic Park! How could I forget? I loooooove those movies! Thank you so much for reminding me! Beatles were also on the list too! See you and me are on the same page!

 ** _KEZZ 1_** \- I'm glad you liked it! Hope this was work the wait!

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- I DO THE SAME THING...But the looks generally end up coming from my friends or my parents...Sometimes even strangers if I happen to be reading in a public place, which is totally embarrassing. Have you done that? I feel like an idiot when I do it. Titanic I have plans for. I actually already have that scene written out (Spoilers: It's not until Cap 2 so you totally have to wait forever to read it MWAHAHAHA). Modern day lyrics is a good one though. I did write that down so thank you for bringing that up.

 _ **reuk19** _ \- I shall try my best to comply to your wishes. Don't know if it'll be exactly how you'll really want it, but I do now have a scene or two planned out for the next chapter with something along those lines. You'll have to let me know what you think once you read it.

 _ **Starbrand**_ : The person above you said pretty much the same thing too. So I will try next chapter to do something along those lines. Like I told them though, I'm not sure it'll be exactly what you may have in mind, but it's something nonetheless. Hope you'll like it, either way, please let me know what you think once you've read it.

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- I'VE MISS YOU!...yes I have. I'm glad you've gotten caught up on your work though. And I totally get the whole math thing. Congrats on the A though. That's impressive! I have a test the day before Halloween. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? It's so not cool. I don't think you have to worry about Colin really changing, which will kind of confuse you beause they're not going to be together forever so..I'll leave that up to you and your imagination!

 _ **shugokage**_ \- I'm glad you think the friendship is successful. I hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **Jo**_ \- I guess I'll just have to check that out then, won't I?

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- Oh, that's a relief. I can't imagine my laptop not working...Especially since I take notes at college with it. I never really though about it, but you're right. I think I know only one Colin. And protective Steve is great. There will be a lot more of that to come too.

 _ **laceylolbug** _ \- I'm so glad you like it. Yes, I like to take the romance slow...maybe a little too slow for some...Because I know exactly when they're going to get together and it's going to be a long ways off, but I wanted them to be real and for their relationship to develope like a real one. Friendship comes first. Then the romance. I'm really glad you like how it's all going so far. Thank you so much for the review!

 _ **seasidewriter1** _ \- Colin is a sweetheart, and of course, there was more of him in here as well...AND Matt and Foggy. They were only in it for a bit, but they'll pop up again, I assure you. I do plan on having Jamie find a picture of Steve pre-serum. And we all know exactly what she's going to think because it's what all of us think as well. STEVE'S JUST TOO ADORABLE! *Clears throat* I hope everything is going well with getting back into the swing of things. For it it's pretty much half the week I'm freaked out and then the rest is total relaxation, and then back to losing sleep and whatnot. Blah, but I'm really hoping it isn't that way for you.


	23. Go For It

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Daredevil, Fantastic 4, etc. Just Jay.**

* * *

Chapter 23  
Go For It

The day seemed brighter, the air more polluted, and the sound much noisier. It had everything to do with all the construction going on around the city. A lot had been fixed, but there was still far more to get done. But thing were opening up in the area that had once been a warzone. People weren't afraid to walk down those streets anymore, and things were much more normal.

"It is so much nicer out here without a bunch of aliens flying around," Jamie admitted, looking up at the skyline where Stark Tower was as she sat with Steve for lunch at this little newly rebuilt cafe by a reopened Grand Central Station. "Though, it they had been more like ET and less like Predator, I probably wouldn't have minded as much."

"I have no idea what you just said," Steve admitted.

"Oh, right," she chuckled. "Well, ET is a feel good movie. We'll watch it sometime. Also stands for Extra Terrestrial. Predator's also a movie, but more along the lines of blood thirsty, like the Chitauri. We don't have to watch that one though. It's not really relevant or all that good, to be honest."

"Okay, I can follow that," Steve said.

"So, what's good here?" she asked.

"The burger's good," Steve said. "It's the only thing I've had here."

"Really? Then why did you insist we come here instead of somewhere else?" she asked.

"Hi, can I get you guys something to drink?"

Jamie turned her head, the waitress standing right behind her with a notepad in hand. She was a pretty woman, older than Jamie but not by too much. Her eyes were focused primarily on the notepad, but when they finally looked up at her customers, her eyes widened in shock, which confused Jamie to no end.

"Oh my God," she gaped.

 _Oh, of course,_ Jamie thought, slouching in her chair slightly. Here we go again.

"Hi," Steve greeted shyly.

"You're, and here, I just, you saved...I just wanted to say thank you," she said. "You saved my life and-"

"I was just doing my job," he said. "Really, it's no big deal."

"No, it is," she insisted. "Listen, to repay you, do you think you might-"

"Beth, come here for a sec, would ya!"

The waitressed sighed and said, "I'm sorry, could you excuse me for a second?"

"Of course," Steve replied.

"No wonder you wanted to come here," Jamie muttered, smirking at Steve.

"What?" he asked.

"She's pretty," she stated. "And she's obviously grateful to you. And likes you."

"What? Really?" he asked. "How do you know?"

"It's obvious. Her body language, her speech," Jamie listed. "She was just about to ask you out when she got called away. You mean you didn't notice?"

"No," he stated. "I told you I wasn't very experienced with this."

"Okay, so are you gonna say yes?" Jamie asked.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"You know, you could go for it," Jamie said. "Even if you don't hit it off, it's a good way to get to know people and how they act now. Get a feel on what it's like around here by jumping right in. And who knows, maybe you'll make a new friend, or a girlfriend."

"Okay, I don't see why not," he said with a small, sweet smile.

"There you go," Jamie said, reaching out and squeezing his hand gently before sitting back. "Look at you getting back in the world!"

"Okay, let's not make a big deal about this," Steve said. "It's one date. And it's not like she's even asked yet."

"But she _will_."

"You _think_."

"I _know_ ," Jamie corrected. "Just you wait and see!"

"Okay, I'm so sorry about that," Beth, the waitress said, finally returning to the table.

"It's absolutely no problem!" Jamie assured. "Now, you were going to ask Steve something?" she asked, assuring the young woman that she should go on.

"Oh, uh, I mean, it's the least I could do to buy you dinner for what you did," Beth said. "Would you want to go out sometime?"

"Uh, Yes, sure," he finally answered.

"Really?" she asked in shock. "Okay, great! Uh, here," she said. She took the pen and wrote down her number on a napkin. "Okay, now that's out of the way, what can I get you guys?"

After the two ordered and Beth excitedly went back to work, Jamie turned to Steve with a smirk. "Told you," she laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Steve muttered, shaking his head with a smirk.

He has a slight red tint to his cheeks, indicating his embarrassment from what just happened. Jamie had to say it was absolutely adorable. She could tell that he was excited about it, but not like she had been to go out with Colin. But he also was nervous, like she had been. It was sweet to think of the man being like that. If the person she was going out with had been like that, she would have found it completely adorable.

"I was, uh, offered a job," Steve blurted out, changing the subject.

"You were?" Jamie asked. "Really? Where? With the military?"

"No, not really," he said. "It's, uh, with SHIELD. A full time thing," he answered. "Instead of just the big things, like what just happened. It's covert things and stuff. Smaller classified ops."

"Wow," Jamie said. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Beth came back with their food, placing it in front of them with a smile before leaving once more. Jamie and Steve both started their meals before continuing the conversation.

"I don't know if I'm gonna take it though," he admitted

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, I'd have to move to Washington D.C. and New York's my home," he said.

"I understand that," Jamie said.

"But then again, I owe SHIELD a lot," he said. "And it turns out Peggy helped form them."

"Oh, okay, I see where you're going with this," Jamie said.

"They told me to think it over and that the position is there for whenever I want it," he said.

"Yeah, it's not really something you want to rush into," Jamie said. "Working for them can be a big commitment."

"Okay, well, I've gotta head to work," Jamie said grabbing her jacket. "It's my first day back, and I know I'm going to get bombarded with questions from Johnny."

* * *

The Baxter building hadn't had much damage done to it during the Battle of New York thankfully. Things around there were rather normal. Jamie went into work and got busy at her desk with Logan. She hadn't heard much from the upper floor, which was unusual. She knew that they had been out of town during the battle, but they had returned very shortly after everything happened and the airport had been reopened.

Logan, as usual, didn't' make much conversation other than to give little commands to her, which she was totally fine with. It was rather refreshing getting back to work. She had been starting to slowly lose her mind in the helicarrier, and then her apartment. Jamie liked to keep busy. Bedrest was definitely not for her.

Jamie went all morning, and most of the afternoon perfectly fine. Nothing out of the ordinary and it was rather relaxing - especially since Johnny wasn't around to pester her. Though, not that she would admit it to anybody - especially not him - she did rather miss the guy. She was more tired than usual because of the lack of flowing energy surging through her, but she was fine.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Jamie told Logan. "I'm going to run to the restroom."

"Really didn't need to know that," Logan muttered, not moving from the paper he was reading - the comic section she was sure.

Yeah, but you would have complained or reprimanded me if I didn't tell you where I was going, she thought with a roll of her green eyes once her back was turned. She headed to the restroom without running into anybody, even any of the janitorial staff, which she had to pass to get to the bathrooms. It wasn't until she walked out of the bathroom, forced to rub her hands on her pants since there were no more paper towels in the dispenser that she ran into the one person she really didn't want to run into.

"You's got some 'splainin' to do."

"Dammit, thought I got lucky," Jamie muttered with a sigh. "You weren't around."

"Normally I'd say something witty there, but I'm more curious as to how you've been," he said. "I've seen the news feeds. I may act it sometimes, but I'm not dumb, Jamie." He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Care to go on, or need I continue?"

Jamie sighed, shaking her head. "No," she said. There was no avoiding it and she new that. She was getting a little more used to explaining herself now. It wasn't enjoyable or easy, but it was easier. "Do you want the long story, or short?"

"Short, you know how my attention span is," he joked.

Jamie snorted. At least he was making this easier for her. He had to know she didn't want to talk about it. His humor was relaxing her, putting her at ease and making her feel as if she could trust him. And she already did. After all, He was Johnny Storm: The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four.

"Well, I got captured overseas when I was in the military. There was some illegal experimentation. Some of us got The last of us got out. SHIELD ended up finding out and they recruited me for what was happening with what ended here; with the Battle of New York," she explained. "That's pretty much the jist."

"Ah,..well..not that much crazier than getting hit with space magic." Johnny said motioning to himself.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't magic, but that's not really the point," Jamie chuckled.

"Makes just as much sense as magic." Johnny pointed out. "So, you still glow?"

" _Uh_ , I don't glow!" Jamie groaned.

"You so do," he laughed. "Come on! Do a party trick! Show me what you've got."

"Can't," she stated simply.

"Why not? You show me yours I'll show you mine." Johnny said.

"That really doesn't make me want to," Jamie told him, patting his arm as she turned down the hallway to go in the direction of the desk. "And even if I did, I couldn't."

"Why, what happened?"

"The easiest way to describe it would be that I'm out of juice," she said. "I'm recharging."

"That means you're vulnerable." Johnny murmured softly.

"I'd hardly call myself vulnerable," Jamie stated.

"But still, and your ID might end up coming out." Johnny warned. "It's been known to happen."

"There's not much I can do about it," Jamie said.

"There's something I can do about it." Johnny pointed out.

She stopped and leaned up against the wall behind her. She was close to the desk, but she didn't want Logan to hear what they were talking about, so she stopped there in an attempt to prevent that. "What would that be, Hotshot?" Jamie asked curiously, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Body guard duty."

"No, no, no, no, no," she muttered, shaking her head and her hands to emphasis her point. "I do _not_ need a bodyguard!"

"Well too bad, because you can't help what I do here while you're at work," Johnny said.

"You're impossible," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's part of my charm!" he exclaimed. "Oh, I totally forgot to ask you if you wanted to go to the fundraiser for the victim relief stuff from what happened. My date fell through and it's not like I can't go out and get another model or something, but I'd rather hang with a friend. One that could be my designated driver?"

"So not a date this time?" she asked.

"Do you want it to be a date?

"No."

"Then not a date."

"Then maybe," she said.

"Then okay." Johnny chuckled.

* * *

Johnny was a rather permanent fixture around the security desk when Jamie happened to be on shift, much to both Jamie and Logan's dismay. Secretly, Jamie was rather comforted by the fact that he was worried about her enough to keep an eye on her until her abilities came back. She hated to be watched and observed, but with Johnny, he just wanted to make sure she was okay with no scientific purpose behind it. He didn't really understand any of that anyway.

Not that Johnny was stupid; he was extremely good with anything mechanical, she heard. But that didn't mean he understand anything about how her powers operated and effect her body.

Things, for Jamie at least, we're starting to get back to normal, much like New York. It was a relief, though everything wasn't about to normal yet. Obviously her powers weren't back yet, and there was great hope that they would. SHIELD most definitely wanted them to come back, but Jamie also did as well. And her nightmares were now more focused on the pain from her most recent battle and not primarily captivity. Phil being a very significant part of that.

But Jamie was grateful for the normalcy. Or what was normal for her, at least. She started to workout with Steve every morning. They'd go running and then they'd often go out for lunch, or dinner depending on what time the decided to go out for their workout. Jamie would go to work, be hassled by Johnny before heading home to just leave and go out to the gym. At least one night during the weekend Jamie would spend with Colin doing whatever it was their date entailed.

Jamie was getting ready for bed when her cell phone buzzed on the counter in the bathroom next to her. She spat and rinsed out her mouth, as she had been brushing her teeth before answering the phone

"Hello?"

"Jamie?"

Jamie smiled brightly and wiped her mouth with her towel. She removed the phone from her ear and put it on speaker as she went to wash her face. "Hey Steve!" she greeted. "How's it going?"

"Good, you?"

"The usual," she answered lamely. "Nothing really exciting going on. Just getting ready for bed. Whatcha up to?"

"Got back from a jog." Steve answered. "Thought I'd check in."

"It seems everybody's trying to either check in on me or protect me," she chuckled. "Johnny's been my "bodyguard" work ever since he found out that my powers are out of whack."

"That's nice of him." He murmured. "And I'm calling in as a friend checking up with another. Also I had a question about our list."

She put the wash clothes in the hamper. "Sure, shoot, Hun," Jamie said, pulling her hair back into the black pony tail holder she had on her wrist.

"Which is the bad Jurassic Park movie sequel I'm supposed to stay away from?"

"Honestly, both," she said. "Though I have to admit, all of them are part of my guilty pleasure collection. I don't care how bad they are, I love them."

"Okay, just wanted to know. Bruce also warned me about the second one. Said the third one was bad, but a better kind of bad...if that makes any kind of sense."

"Oh, it makes perfect sense once you watch them," Jamie said. "But I agree with Bruce. Anything with Dr. Grant it prefered. Two doesn't have him in it whatsoever so that's out." Jamie picked the phone up and headed to the bedroom, turning the light off in the bathroom before she made her way to the bedroom. "It doesn't really sound like I helped you out in this whole thing though. Sorry!" she laughed.

"No, no, it's fine. I was just wondering if I should rent that or some of the Disney movies to watch on our next movie night." Steve said.

"Ah, well, you can get any. I'm good with whatever. And if you really wanted to skip the second Jurassic Park movie, you can. If there's anything that needs explaining I'm more than happy to do it," Jamie said. "Plus, you can't go wrong with Disney movies."

"Yeah, they were also good, when I saw them in the movies back in the 40's. So I say we do it chronologically. So, Bruce said that's Make Mine Music?"

"Huh, never heard of it before, to be honest. So it'll be a first for me too," Jamie said. She went to her closet, setting the phone on the dresser as she went to pick out clothes for the next day, including her workout clothes and her work clothes.

"Yeah he said it wasn't one of the big ones like the Lion King. He said that was his favorite."

"It would be more ironic if his favorite was Beauty and the Beast," Jamie chuckled. "Oh, that was mean. I shouldn't have said that."

"I guess I'll understand that reference when we watch it," he muttered.

"Oh, right, sorry," Jamie said.

"Don't worry about it." Steve chuckled. "I get the jist of it. I mean the story is older than Disney."

"That is true," Jamie said. "So it that everything?" she asked. "Not that I mind chatting. It just seems like you're drawing things out a little. Anything on your mind you want to talk about, hun?"

"Uh the date." Steve murmured after a moment of silence.

Jamie's hand froze as she reached for a green blouse. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed, biting her lip. "You're date with Beth. I totally spaced. That was tonight. How was it?"

"It was...okay." Steve said lamely. "I mean, she's was a nice girl and everything it was just...nothing clicked."

"I get that," Jamie said with a sigh. She didn't know what she expected to hear. She wanted Steve have a good time and if Beth was that than she was totally for him going out with her. And she knew he had to get integrated into their norm somehow, and a simple date was a good way to do it. But she felt a little weird encouraging the date with someone she didn't even know. Steve was one of the sweetest guys she had ever met and he deserved nothing but the best. She didn't know Beth. She didn't know if she was the best for him.

So when she heard they didn't click she was a little disappointed. She knew how hard it was to get over someone you used to love. And he had been in love with Peggy. Getting back into the dating world wasn't easy. Add in it being a different time period? She had no idea how difficult it could have been.

And at the same time she was relieved. Again, she didn't know Beth. She didn't know if she actually liked Steve for who he was, or if she was just grateful for him saving her life. She didn't want Steve to get used. And, if she was being completely honest with herself, she didn't want his time to be taken up with someone else. She loved hanging out with him. It was completely selfish, and she wouldn't prevent him from doing anything, but it was how she felt.

"Did you have a good time though?"

"Yeah, it was a basic date, dinner and a movie." Steve said. "I honestly prefer our movie nights to be honest." he chuckled.

Jamie giggled, tossing the green blouse onto the dresser for tomorrow. "Well aren't you just the sweet talker," Jamie said. "I'm glad it wasn't a total bust of a night though. I would hate to have pushed you into a horrible date."

"No no it was good to get out." Steve assured her.

"I'm glad you think so," Jamie said. "I'm sorry to say that I'm gonna have to leave you now though, Steve. I'm filling in for someone first shift tomorrow and then I've got my own so it's gonna be a long day."

"Alright, talk to you later Jamie, good luck." Steve told her.

"Thanks, Steve. Have a good night."

* * *

Steve had been right when e said that the food at that little cafe that Beth worked at was good. She had liked it so much the first time she went there that she decided to go get some takeout during the short amount of time she had between the two shifts she had that day to grab herself something to eat. Jamie's appetite had been drastically increasing, though she hadn't really noticed it. She figured it was just because she was finally a little more relaxed, and when she was stressed she wasn't as hungry.

So she stood at the counter waiting patiently for her food to come out. She was being patient, but that didn't mean she wasn't anxious - bouncing her leg and tapping her fingers against her own arm as they were folded across her chest. Just as she hadn't been sleeping from the nightmares, Jamie hadn't really been able to really relax. She would sit reading or watching television before bed and she'd be ready to fall asleep, but when she got up and moved to her bedroom she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

Jamie was so tired. When she could sleep, she'd be woken up from her nightmares. And when she really wanted to sleep she couldn't. She had no idea what was going on, but all she knew was that she was just so tired that she was starting to not be able to function as well as she normally was.

"So how was it? I want to hear every last detail!"

"There really isn't all that much to tell." Now that voice was familiar. Jamie turned her head, her eyes landing on the familiar blonde named Beth, standing over by the soda machine talking to another waitress. "He was sweet, but he didn't really do much."

"What do you mean? Like he was shy or something?"

"Exactly," Beth said. "You just wouldn't think that The Captain America would be so reserved like that, you know? He wasn't anything that I expected. And when I asked him about what happened during the battle, he wouldn't answer. And he didn't want to talk about his time in the army either."

 _Of course he wouldn't want to talk about it,_ Jamie thought. _His life in WWII isn't something he really wants to be reminded of right now. It's the life he lost. Where he was supposed to be. He doesn't want to be reminded of all the possibility there could have been for him there. And he can't really talk about what happened with Loki. It's confidential. Plus, it's just like any other battle with trauma and scars. No soldier really wants to talk about that._

Jamie shook her head, completely tempted to just walk right out of the place without the food she had already paid for. There were so many expectations for Steve. Nobody really got that he was an _actual_ person with _actual_ feelings and an _actual_ personality. Just because he wasn't what you thought he'd be, didn't mean who he was was any less important. It was even more so, because it reminded you that nothing is as it seems, and there is a side to every story that you may not know.

Perhaps she really liked the fact that she had gotten to know Steve before she found out who he really was. She got to know him for him, and not what she read in the comics with her brother growing up. Not that any of that stuff wasn't important too, because that stuff helped shape him into who he was, but it wasn't everything.

Steve was such a sweet and incredible guy, who had a love for drawing. And that's who she saw when she saw him. Not captain America. Not the man that stood in the stars and stripes.

Steve was Steve and she wouldn't take him any other way.

* * *

 **So, Steve did go on a date, but not exactly the best outcome, I guess..Okay, back to the normal schedule, I suppose. I don't really have much to say...So, yeah. Hope you guys liked the chapter.**

Thanks to _StillDoll13 _ for her assistance in parts of this chapter.

Thanks go to the following people for their review(s) on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ : Colin is a sweetie...It makes me feel bad for putting him in here with Jamie...(That'll make you wonder what's going to happen to her, huh? Evil little me). Yeah, Jamie definitely doesn't really like the attention. Never did. Guess she's going to have to get used to it though. Glad you liked Steve in this chapter. I really liked how that turned out.  
My week started off good,then progressively got worse. Turns out next semester I'll be at my college almost for 40 hrs a week. Add in the two jobs I already work and homework...Where am I going to fit in eating and sleeping, let alone writing?Uh...Hope your weeks going a lot better than mine!  
I looke forward to reading the Solace fic you're working on

 _ **KEZZ**_ \- I'm very glad you liked it. Hope the update was quick enough.

 _ **RougeReaper**_ \- I'm so glad you love the story. Hope you liked this chapter, and it came out quickly enough. I try to update every Friday, or at least on the weekend.

 ** _Jesla777_** \- Titanic won't come until Cap 2, so we have a while to go. Lol, don't worry. Star Wars was a given. It's also on Steve's list/book.  
Can't wait to hear/read about you Solace snippet too!

 ** _Jo_** _ **-** _ Yay, you think it's good! Glad you don't mind Colin. He'll be around for several more chapters.

 _ **19irene96**_ \- Colin is nice and sweet and funny. Makes me feel bad for what I have planned...

 ** _shugokage_** \- Yeah, I love how marvel does it like that with Agents of SHIELD. They're agents, but for the most part none of them really know any of the avengers and didn't take part in the initial incident so it brings in a different pov. I wanted to incorporate that.

 ** _Knighthawk993_** \- Nah, for the most part Jamie's accepted who she is. She doesn't like attention and is kind of annoyed by it, but she's also a normal person. She gets that if she met a celebrity she'd have a hard time keeping her cool too, so she gets what they feel like when meeting her. And don't worry, it makes sense.  
Exactly! Of course Steve didn't want her to go on the date. Even if he hasn't realized his feelings yet, he'd miss all the time he hands out with her A boyfriend would take more of his time with her.

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- Yes, Officer John Blake. I generally have a little shout out to him in anything I put cops in...He's also in my TMNT stories...He's rather prominent in there too. And Colin is based off of Blue Blood's Jamie Reagan...I've got a thing for cops I guess. ;)


	24. Changes

**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel or the Avengers, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. Just Jameson, etc.**

* * *

Chapter 24  
Changes

It wasn't until a month and a half after the battle that Jamie managed to finally meet up with James again for dinner. They went to Josie's, one of Jamie's new favorite hang outs despite not being a drinker. Jamie invited James, and they both met up there early before Jamie had to go in for work. She was taking another double shift. She still couldn't sleep, so she figured she may as well do something productive with her time. Other side she would have just been at the gym. Why not make some extra cash?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Jamie quickly got out, leaning forward in her seat to get in closer to James as he sat across from her. "You're _moving_?" she asked. "Where did this come from? You never said you wanted to move before. You actually said you'd never leave New York, so I'm a little confused here."

"Jamie, take it easy," James chuckled. "You're taking this harder than Kyle did."

"No, it's not that," Jamie said. "I'm happy for you. I really am. I'm just kind of shocked. This all came out of nowhere, you know?"

"No, I understand. I never did talk about it," he said. "Martha and I just think that it would be better for us and the kids if we moved upstate. Her father just put their lake house on the market and Martha and the kids love that place, so we're thinking about moving up to Oswego. We've been getting better in the family dynamic, but we think it'll really be good for us if we just get out of the city, you know; away from all the danger. Though the kids are both excited and disappoint about knowing a superhero that they can't tell people they know."

"Yeah, I see where you're coming from," Jamie said. "Well, I'm really happy for you guys. I'll miss babysitting and our little lunches, but it's not like I can't come and visit, right?" Jamie paused, waiting for him to answer. When there was none, she got a little nervous. "Wait, I can come and visit, right?"

James couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. "Oh, you should have seen your face!" he blurted out. "Of course you can come visit! I just couldn't resist that set up."

"You're such a dick!"

"I know!"

"See if I come visit and babysit now!"

"Ah, come on Jamie! Don't be like that!" James said. "Why don't you tell me about this new boy toy of yours?"

"Who? Colin?" Jamie asked.

"Who else would I be talking about? Thor?"

"Nah, Thor's dating Jane," Jamie pointed out, though it wasn't really the point.

"Yes, Colin. Tell me about this guy," James said.

"Well, he's a cop," Jamie sid. "And he's incredibly sweet. Things are going really well."

And things between them been going extremely well. They started meeting up bar more than just one night during the week. Colin would often stop by her place and have a very late dinner with er, or breakfast, depending on either of their work shifts. Jamie would sometimes drop by the precinct to drop off some lunch for him and his partner when they had day shifts and she wasn't out having lunch with Steve.

They were getting very close in both the emotional aspects of their relationship, as well as physical. It had been a great deal of time since Jamie had done anything of the sort, and it was like being a teenager all over again. She was unsure and going into foreign territories, but she found it was kind of like just riding a bike. At least the physical part was. She was still slightly emotionally new to everything, which wasn't as uncommon as she believed it to be.

The new developments in her relationship were kind of kept quiet though. Jamie didn't like to publicly flaunt what she had or did. She didn't like to boast to her friends, though her friends list wasn't as great as it had once been. Steve would have been rather uncomfortable hearing about how Jamie had sex, and James really didn't care to know. She was far younger than him, after all. He was more interested in other stuff. And Johnny? Johnny would have gotten far too much pleasure it every aspect of it. He would have teased her mercilessly and Jamie definitely didn't want that.

"Good, good. You deserve someone that makes you happy."

The door opened, and though it was later in the early evening with people coming in and out rather frequently, Jamie couldn't help but have her eyes go to the door every time. Her anxiousness had her attention divided every which way. It was amazing just how much energy a girl who hadn't slept in the past four days had. She supposed she was thankful for it though, as she caught site of Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson walk in together.

She smiled, waving at them as they made their way over to the bar - obviously to get Foggy's attention seeing as Matt couldn't see. Foggy stopped, grabbing Matt's arm as he gaped at the brunette woman who was welcoming them over in her direction. He said something to Matt, something she couldn't hear. Matt just chuckled and shook his head, saying something back to his friend. Matt left Foggy to start to make his way to the bar, but Foggy quickly recovered and made his way towards her and James with Matt.

"Hey Foggy, Matt," Jamie greeted. "Guy's this is my friend James. James, these are two friends of my boyfriend, Colin."

"So it's boyfriend now?" Matt asked. "Glad to hear things are going well between you two."

"That's exactly what I said," James said.

"So, how's work with you guys? Don't lawyers have crazy hours?"

"Yeah, tonight the first night we haven't worked pasted twelve," Foggy said.

"Damn," Jamie said.

"Yeah, I don't have what it takes to be a lawyer," James said. "I can't like to argue that much."

"It's a lot more research and case building than really arguing," Matt said.

"Though there's a fair deal of both," Foggy said.

"Yeah, I don't like to argue that much either," Jamie said.

"Arguing maybe, but what about fighting?" Foggy asked.

"Eh, don't do much of that lately either," she said. "I don't actually work for SHIELD, you know. It was kind of just a consultation thing."

"That's some consultation," Matt laughed.

"Right, I think I'll just stick to security at the Baxter Building," Jamie said.

"Working with the Fantastic Four, I'm sure," Foggy said.

"Yes, I do, but-"

"You don't do anything that isn't epic, do you?" James asked.

"I do to!" she protested. "I like to read and watch movies and stay at home!"

"Right," James teasingly.

"Anyway, speaking of work, I really do need to head out. I've got an extra shift today."

"Okay, thanks for dinner, Jamie,"James said.

Jamie got up and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "No problem, let me know more of the details for the move. I'd be more than happy to help you guys pack and whatnot."

"So now you're trying to get rid of us?"

"Maybe," she joked back. "It was good seeing you guys again."

"Likewise," Matt replied, obviously knowing by the smirk on his lips the irony of the statement.

"Have a good night working with superheroes!" Foggy told her.

* * *

Running was one of the best ways for Jamie to get out all the extra energy that she had built up in her. It had been six days since she had last slept and she had every intention of calling Amir to tell him about what was going on, but she didn't seem to really find the time with all of the extra shifts she had been taking at work.

It was early in the morning, but not as early as they normally ran to compensate for Jamie's schedule. They were going to have to dodge in and out of the foot traffic even more than usual, as people were leaving for work right about then. It would be a pain, but a good form of training and practice on their reflexes, she supposed.

"Hey, so have you thought more about the offer SHIELD gave you?" Jamie asked through her pants as she ran alongside Steve.

"A lot, actually," he admitted.

"Really? Have you come to a decision?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm gonna take it."

"You are?" she asked, though her voice sounded a lot more excited for him than she really felt.

Steve was becoming on of her best friends, if he already wasn't already. She was happy he finally figured out what he wanted to do, but now he'd be leaving her to go to DC. James was leaving, Steve was leaving. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Colin was going to leave her next! Thank goodness she knew better than that though.

"Well, good for you," Jamie said, subconsciously flexing her firsts and wiggling her fingers like she used to with the feeling of the energy flowing through them. Now there wasn't anything left. "I'm glad you finally figured out what you want to do. I'm sure you'll do great working full time for SHIELD."

"I'm sure if you wanted you could have a job with them too," Steve assured her.

 _Me? Work for them?_ Jamie could almost laugh at that. "I don't know, Steve. I mean, they haven't really put much interest in me now that I'm powerless."

"I'd hardly call you powerless," Steve said.

"Yeah, but I'm not as useful to them without them," she said. "I mean, I'm no spy or secret agent or whatever. I'm a soldier."

"So am I," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're a _Super-_ Soldier," she pressed. "You can do a shi-crap load of stuff if you put your mind to it."

"I'm pretty sure you could too," he said. "After all, you did break out of captivity. That had been all your plan."

"I don't know, that had been a whole lot of desperation. It's not really the same sort of situations that I'd be placed into work fo-" Jamie had been looked next to her as she addressed Steve and hadn't been paying attention where she was running. She smacked right into another body, sending her and the other person to the ground with loud thuds.

Jamie shook her head and quickly regained her composure and realized what had happened. "Oh, I am so sorry!" Jamie exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She reached down to help the man up. She grabbed his discarded camera. "I should have been paying more attention. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't hurt the camera? Oh shit that looks expensive…"

"No, no, it's okay," he assured her quickly, as if it had been all his fault and he didn't want her to freak out. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I mean, if I broke your camera I want to pay to fix it," she said.

"No, it's okay," he said. He held it up and pointed it at her. the automatic focus zeroing in on her. It shuttered, taking the image. "See, it's fine!"

"Oh good," Jamie said. "Again, I'm so sorry."

"Please, there's nothing to be sorry for," he said.

"Okay, well, have a good day!" she said, starting to make her way back to their designated running path. "Sorry about that, Steve. I guess I need to pay more attention."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "You okay?"

"Me? Oh, yeah," she said. "It'd take a little more than just running into a stranger to hurt me," she laughed.

"Right," he laughed. "Just like you're more resourceful than you're letting on. You have more to offer than just your powers, Jamie."

"Maybe you see it that way, but I'm not sure SHIELD does," she said. "I'm sure they take everything into account. I mean, they're SHIELD after all. They're _the_ spies. They're the greatest intelligence organization there is.."

"Don't let the CIA hear you say that….Though, seeing as they're the CIA, they probably just did," she chuckled.

"What?" Steve asked confused.

"Oh, nothing, just a bad CIA conspiracy joke," she said. "It wasn't very good."

"Right," he chuckled. Apparently he found her bad humor, his lack of understanding, and her disregard for her horrible jokes humorous.

"Hey, at least you laughed. It may not have been at my joke, but you laughed! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

" _What_?"

"Dude, we are _so_ watching Harry Potter tonight," Jamie said. "And then you're borrowing the books."

Steve smirked. "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

 **Sorry it's short. It's setting things up though, if you didn't get that after reading it. Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter. Let me know if here's anything you guys want to see happening or something...I guess...I don't really have much to say lately so... Oh, I got something! UI think there's about 8 chapters left to go in this part of the series. Then we're on to Condolence (which is what Cap 2 is going to be in).Review?**

Thanks go to the following people for their review(s) on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **KEZZ**_ \- I'm glad you thought so! Hope you liked this one as well!

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Thank you. I tried my best. Hope you liked this one too!

 _ **Jo**_ \- Yeah, Johnny isn't always a concerted dick...At least, that's what I think. He's one of those cocky friends that sometimes you question why you have around, but when you really need them they really pull through and they're there for you no matter what.

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- The Wizard of Oz did come out during his time, so he does know that. Remember how in the Avengers he remember what flying monkeys were and Thor didn't? Honestly, when I was thinking of things to do, I thought of that and did research and didn't remember that part of the movie until I saw the date it came out. And my friend that i was bouncing ideas off of didn't remember either until I told her. So you're NOT the only one that thought that! Oooooh, I so can't wait for the snipet. I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! (Sorry, couldn't resist).

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ \- Yeah, I wanted first and foremost for Jamie and Steve to be friends first, before any feeling started to appear. I mean, yeah, Jamie is physically attracted to him (and let's be honest, who isn't?) but it takes time for love to form. And there are signs already that she's starting to fall for him but hasn't registered it yet. Like when she doesn't want his time to be taken up by him dating another girl, or how she's giggling without realizing it to things he says. I'm really glad your favorite part was the last bit. I really wanted to include that as another form of this is Jamie starting to really come to care for Steve and fall for him without realizing it, as well as how much she respects who he is as an individual.  
DUDE DUDE DUDE! ROYAL MARINES? SOOOO JEALOUS. Our little squad of Royal Marines shall make their appearance again, just you wait!  
Can't wait for your fic!

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- He probably would have asked her more, and to see it, if she could actually use her powers right now. But she can't, and I assume that he knows how frustrating it is to not be able to use his powers sometimes. Steve's not too broken up about the date. He wasn't that into her, he just went because Jamie pointed out it was a good way to get about out there and see how things in this time works.


	25. Flowers

**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Daredevil...Wish I did though. I'd be cool and rich and...not the point! Just own Jamie and Oc's.**

* * *

Chapter 25  
Flowers

It was a Wednesday night. It was cool, rain falling from the dark cry evening sky. Jamie and Colin were sitting inside her apartment, resting together on her couch watching some random movie on Hallmark, to Jamie's protest. Colin said there was nothing like sappy romance movies to laugh.

That was why she ended up reading most of the time when Colin started to watch them. Jamie was much more of a classic movie person, not the typical, poorly funded ones that were aired on Hallmark and Lifetime anyway.

It was a very comfortable night, just the two of them sitting in comfortable silence doing their own respected things. That was, until a knock came at the door. Jamie glanced up from her book, looking at her boyfriend in confusion.

"Who could it possibly be at this time of night?" she muttered, not really expecting an answered. She placed her book down on the coffee table, standing up, the blanket covering her and Colin falling partially on the floor.

She got to the door, and looked out through the peep hole only to find that nobody was there. Confused at the lack of a body, Jamie stepped back, unlocking the door and pulling it open quickly. She looked down the hallway to find not a single person. The only thing there was a large bouquet of purple and white Sweet Alyssum flowers in the crystal vase.

Jamie smiled, picking the flowers up, bringing them to her nose to smell as she shut the door and locking it. I can't believe Colin got me flowers! Jamie thought, making her way back to the living room to thank him properly.

"Wow, did you go in the hospital without telling me? Why are people sending you flowers?" Colin chuckled.

Jamie stopped as she set them on the coffee table, looking at him oddly. "No," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh shit, is it your birthday?" Colin scrambled to check his phone.

"Uh, no," Jamie said, shaking her head once more. "Not until January," she stated. "That's what I thought." Colin murmured.

"You mean you didn't send them?" she asked, glancing back at the flowers to check for a card.

"While flowers are nice, I would have done a bit more if I was trying to woo you. And definitely not while I'm here, I would have just given them to you. It interrupted our night in."

Jamie, leafing through the flowers, finally found a small index card stuffed inside. She pulled it out, flipping it around to see the handwritten message on the front.

"Find out who is trying to out do me, Babe?" Colin asked from the couch.

Jamie blinked, staring at the card oddly before clearing her throat. "Uh, it, uh, doesn't have a name. Just a message. "I have little left in myself - I must have you. The world may laugh - may call me absurd, selfish - but it does not signify. My very soul demands you: it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly vengeance on its frame." That's it."

"Okay...what the fuck?" Colin asked getting up.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Jamie said, looking at it in disgust. She placed it back into the flowers and sat down, just staring at them.

"Seriously. Do you have any clue? This is so weird," he grumbled as he picked up the vase.

"No," Jamie said. "I honestly have nothing."

"Promise? Seems kinda, you know..romantic. I trust you and stuff but...you know...life." He shrugged. "Are you sure it wasn't Steve?" Colin asked.

"Why would Steve send me flowers?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe he's got a thing for you," he said. "You two spend a lot of time together. And if I didn't trust you as much as I do, I'd probably be worried that you were sneaking around with him."

Jamie blushed from both embarrassment at the implication of her being with Steve, and from the anger that her boyfriend would possibly even consider that she would cheat on him with her best friend. Steve was incredibly sweet, and yes, he was good looking with his blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes, and those to die for muscles and his tallness and large hands….. And he made her feel like she was important and strong and like everything was alright and that she was safe.

But Jamie wasn't with Steve. She was with Colin.

"Colin," Jamie sighed. She leaned in, kissing him sweetly and slowly on the lips before sitting back, leaning on his shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about. You know how I feel about you."

"Just checking," he said kissing her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm," she hummed in a chuckled. "Oh, I think I like this jealous side. It makes you all kissy."

"If you wanted that, all you had to do was ask," he murmured, leaning her onto her back on the couch.

* * *

Jamie stood outside of her apartment building, stretching for her morning run with Steve. She had gotten her timing down packed so that she had just enough time to stretch before he made it there from his longer run. Not that she minded waiting. She just liked routine.

"Good morning," she greeted Steve once he finally arrived.

"Good morning." Steve smiled and bumped her shoulder. "How are you today?"

Jamie shrugged, not completely sure if she should tell him about the odd thing that happened the night before. But Steve could normally tell when something was off, so honestly was the best course of action with him. "Uh, I kinda got flowers last night," she muttered softly, almost too soft to hear over the loudness of the city around them.

"Wow, maybe Greer's classier than I thought," Steve chuckled.

Somehow, though Jamie wasn't exactly sure how, Steve had figured out where her relationship was with Colin. Not that she really minded, it was kind of nice not openly trying to avoid saying things like Colin stayed the night last night" and whatnot. But it was a little awkward. Steve didn't really think that Colin was as good for Jamie as she did. That was primarily from just some things that she told him about Colin though, so he had never actually met him. Not yet at least. She really did want them to meet.

Colin was intimidated by Steve, and Steve was her best friend. Steve didn't think he was good enough for her, but that could have very well been just because he hadn't met him in person yet. Same with Colin. So she really wanted the two important people in her life to meet one another.

"That's not funny, Steve," Jamie scolded. "And they weren't from Colin."

"Ah...then who?" Steve asked confused.

"I, uh, have no clue," she said. "And, uh, it came with a really weird care. Creepy weird, you know?"

"Did, did you at least report it? If it was that creepy you need too," Steve said in worry.

"There wasn't a name," she said. "No logo from a flower stop. No delivery person. What could they do when the person's a ghost?"

"I know but they need that stuff on record right? In case something else happens." Steve told her. "I'm serious, Jay."

"I don't know," Jamie sighed. "It's probably just some admirer or something, someone that figured out who I am. It's not exactly a massive secret. Anybody that sees footage from the Battle of New York can put me next to Solace and figure it out."

"I know but if they got your address it's pretty big. Just...for my sake will you report it?" Steve asked her.

Jamie sighed. Yes, it was creepy, but she wasn't really worried about it. Johnny of all people had said worse things to her, and he was harmless. But if Steve was that worried, and if it would make him feel better, then Jamie would report it.

"Okay," she agreed. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll do it. But only because you asked."

"Thanks." He smiled as he hugged her in a friendly manner.

"Don't mention it," Jamie said, hugging him back. "But really, it's nothing. You're worried over nothing!"

"I hope you're right," he said.

"Hey, so any news on when you're moving to DC?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, not until some time in November," he said. "I've got a whole lot of paperwork and training to do before they want me there. Plus, I can work out of the New York Office for a while."

"Sweet, so I don't lose you for a good couple four or so months," Jamie said.

"I'm gonna miss you," Steve blurted out, a red blush dusting his cheeks.

"I'm hope so," Jamie laughed, trying to make him feel better. "I'll miss you too. I mean, who else am I going to rant about movies and music to? James is moving, you're gonna move. That's just leave Colin and I think I'd scare him off if I did that," she laughed. "Would you like to come to dinner some night this week and meet him?" she asked.

"Do I have to?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," she answered.

"Do you want me to?" he sighed, rephrasing the question.

"Yes, I do," she answered again.

"Fine, I'll come meet your _boyfriend_ then," he said.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun...The menacing super villain The Flowers have made their debut! How you guys were terrified...Who am I kidding, I sound stupid talking like that! Anyway, hope you guys liked it. It was another rather short chapter, so I apologize, but again, it's setting stuff up for later chapters.**

Thanks for to the following reviewers for their, well, _reviews_ on the previous chapters:

 _ **KEZZ 1-**_ Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Hope you liked this chapter too!

 _ **LateNightOwl**_ \- Idk, I guess you'll just have to wait and see who the person was...Maybe they'll be back...maybe not...I'm so glad you like the story though. Thank you for your lovely review, and I hope you liked this chapter as well.

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Yes, it will, but I recently realized that DC and NYC are only about 4 hours apart...I live in NY Stat, but to DC it's about 7-8 hours so that's probably why I just didn't realize how close it was. Eh, oh well. Not really important. But they're good friends and I don't think distance would really effect them too much.

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- Hey, I'm forgetful too. It gets really bad when college starts back up because my mind is taken up with useless things for my classes instead of remember, like, when my doctors appointment is, or what I was supposed to be doing when I entered this room and whatnot. It's so weird how much that improved the second finals are done...

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see. Hey, dont don't worry about it. I'm just glad you got to read the chapter!

 _ **Jo**_ \- I'm so glad you liked all the everything in the last chapter.

 _ **The girl with no life** _ \- Perhaps. We'll just have to wait and see. ;)

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ \- A lot of people think it's Peter. I'm not saying anything though. Everybody will just have to wait and see. Hope your computer gets worked out. I couldn't imagine being separated from mine. I mean, I even use it for notes (because my professor talks to fast to hand write anything legibly.) I think the wifi bit is the same at every college. Dorm room wifi sucks (thank god I'm a commuter. Saves thousands of $$$$). Anyway, glad you loved the chapter!

 ** _Knighthawk993_** \- ...Something like that...Not elaborating on which part(s) are correct. That would be spoilers and I'm so not doing that. You'll just have to wait and see...Though this chapter kind of gives it away..And I agree, Matt is incredibly polite. I think the Daredevil show on Netflix portrays it far better than the movie.


	26. And So They Meet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Daredevil, Fantastic 4, etc. Just Jay and OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 26  
And So They Meet

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

Jamie hated it when things were slow at work. When thing were slow, the day seemed to drag on and on and on. Time always seemed to fly by far more quickly when she had things to do. Even just getting up to do a security sweep or walk through made the time pass more quickly than being stuck behind the security station.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

She blamed Johnny fully for that too. All because her powers hadn't returned yet. He was being so overly protective of her at work that it was beginning to be unbearable. She was really tempted to talk to Sue about it to get her to make him stop, or at least let up.

It was one thing to have her take it easy. It was one thing to have her on desk duty instead of walking around like she normally did, which Logan hadn't been very happy about, but he didn't dare say anything while Johnny was around.

Constantly sitting behind her was rather pushing it.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"I swear to God, Jamie, I'll break your hand if you keep tapping the pen!" Johnny explained, making her jump at the sudden sound of his voice behind her.

"Then go away," Jamie told him.

"Nah, too much fun bugging you," he laughed.

"Oh, I'm glad my pain is a form of entertainment to you, Storm," Jamie muttered, her head still down looking at the new policy packet she had received that morning.

"Everyone's pain is my entertainment," He shrugged.

"Well, I guess we can test that theory when i kick your ass," Jamie said. "Maybe you'll like your own pain just as much."

"Hm, never really explored that part of my sexuality, guess we'll have to see." Johnny grinned.

"You just have to make everything weird, don't you?" Jamie asked. "Gah, gross. Way to make it uncomfortable, Johnny-boy."

"Uh, not just for you," a voice said timidly from behind her.

Jamie looked up. Her green eyes made contact with a pair of blue beauties. She instantly smiled and stood up. "Steve!"

"That's how I roll." Johnny sighed putting his arms behind his head.

"It's a weird way to roll, Johnny," Jamie said. "It's not normal." She made her way around the desk to greet Steve. "What are you doing here?" she asked lightly. "And what smells so good?"

"Now who's making things weird?" Johnny laughed. "Stop smelling me! You're on the job."

"Uhh," Steve said still not really sure what to say in this situation.

"Or were you smelling him?" the younger male asked. "Because that makes me feel like you're cheating on me!"

"Oh shove it, Johnny!"

"I-Is he bothering you?' Steve asked.

Jamie snorted. "Johnny? Johnny always bothers me," she answered. "But I guess that's part of the charm."

"Oh well, if he's not bothering you..." Steve said not even more unsure of the situation. He would have known how to handle it if he was bugging her.

"Oh, uh, Steve, this is Johnny Storm. Johnny, this is Steve Rogers," Jamie introduced.

"Sup, Mr. Hero," Johnny said with a head nod.

"Oh um yes, hello Mr. Storm." Steve said holding his hand out. "Jamie informs me you've been looking after her during this time. I want to give my thanks personally for watching after my best friend."

"No problem, man," he said. "Though she chews out my ass for it."

"Your point?" Jamie asked

"Oh, no point, just thought I'd let your patriotic friend here know what you're really like," he teased.

Jamie rolled her eyes and turned to Steve. "Uh, lunch." Steve said holding up a lunch bag. "You said you forgot yours."

"Right!" she exclaimed, taking the bag. She opened it and took a large wiff of the deliciously greasy fast food. She moaned in delight. "You are my Godsend, I swear. Thank you!" She leaned up onto her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek .

"No problem I was driving by the cafe and here anyway." Steve said with a nod. "Speaking of which I have to go soon."  
"Okay, thanks for coming by," Jamie said. "I really appreciate this, You know me and my metabolism."

"Yeah it's not problem. You'd do the same," Steve said. "I'll see you at dinner tonight," he reminded her as he took out his keys.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

Steve nodded to Johnny and gave a short, "Storm," before he hesitantly looked at Jamie. He leaned down and gave her a gently, friendly kiss on the forehead before turning and making his leave.

"See you later Captain," he said, lowering his tone on Captain. He gave the blond a mocking salute.

Jamie stood there for a moment in shock. Had Steve really just kissed her back like she always did? She couldn't help but smirk as she made her way back to her seat. her cheeks were blazing, and she couldn't contain the giddy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Steve was really loosening up with her. The friendly kiss showed her that.

"Huh."

Jamie started to take out the large order of french fries from the bag. "Oh, what now, Johnny?" Jamie groaned.

"Nothing, it's just…"

" _What?!_ "

"Are you sure you're with the right guy?" he asked.

The seriousness of the statement caught her attention. Jamie turned around in her swivel chair to face him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Johnny huffed. "Well, you know, Colin doesn't come and bring you lunch," he pointed out. "And, I mean, you seemed pretty chummy with Star Spangled tights just now."

Jamie shook her head. Biting her lip with a shake of her head, a deep blush spreading up her neck to her cheeks. "No, Steve and I are just friends."

"Right, okay," he scoffed. "We'll see how long that lasts. But from the way he looks at you and the way you look at him, I'm pretty sure you both like one another. I mean, he kissed you so..."

Her and Steve? Steve looking at _her_ affectionately? Her looking at _him_ affectionately? No, she was with Colin. She couldn't possibly have feelings for anybody else. She wasn't like that. Plus, Steve was her best friend. Sure, he was incredibly fine to look at, and he was so sweet and caring. He understood her. They were both soldiers and they could relate to losing the ones they cared about in horrible ways. They both had seen hell. He made her laugh and forget about all of the stressors around her. And she loved the way that when he laughed, truly laughed without the memories of the past on his mind, his eyes would smile just as brightly as his sweet, adorable smile.

But that didn't mean she liked him like that, right?

 _Right?_

* * *

To say Jamie was nervous was a complete understatement. There were so many things that could possibly go wrong running through her head that probably would never happen in a million years, but that didn't really matter. If she could think of it, then she was worried it could go wrong.

What if she burned dinner? What if they didn't like what she was cooking? What if Steve liked Colin, but Colin didn't like Steve? What is Colin liked Steve, but Steve didn't like Colin? What if neither of them liked one another? What if Steve got called in for a job? What if, what if, what if?

 _Breath, Jamie, breathe_ , she told herself as she stood in the kitchen preparing dinner. Everything will be fine.

She had finally decided that morning to make ) barbeque chicken breasts with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes for their dinner, with apple pie for dessert. She had just taken the chicken out of the oven to put in the pie when a voice reminded her of their presence.

"Wait, so he brought you lunch?"

Jamie nearly forgot about Colin sitting on the counter next to the sink as she scurried about. She nearly dropped the tray of chicken because of it. "Uh, yeah," she said. "I forgot my lunch at home and we were talking on my way to work so he came and brought me lunch on his way to the office."

"Why didn't you call me to bring you lunch?" he asked.

Jamie moved the chicken onto a separate platter as she answered his question. "I did call you. You didn't answer. Plus, you were on shift so I didn't want to bother you."

"I would have stopped by," Colin said, hopping off the counter. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, trapping her between the counter and his body. He pressed his lips to the exposed skin on her neck. "It's not that big of a deal. We were just giving tourists directions in Time Square anyway. We weren't that far away."

"Then answer your phone next time," she teased, bumping him with herbutt to get him to let go so she could put the chicken on the table. "Why are you so bothered by it anyway?" she asked. "He just dropped off lunch."

"Yeah, but I'm your boyfriend," he said. "I'm supposed to be the one doing that for you."

"And he's my friend, and he's allowed to do nice things for me if he wants, just like I do for my friends," Jamie said. "I really don't see why you're getting so worked up about this, Hon."

Colin groaned. "I'm getting worked up about it because I'm your boyfriend and I get jealous when my smokin' hot, kick ass girlfriend's super hero, godlike best friend comes and brings her things. It's like he's showing me up or something."

Jamie set the food down and turned to Colin, wrapping her arms around his neck, pecking him on the lips before saying, "Colin, we've covered this. You know how I feel about you. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know, it's just…" he muttered. "You're fantastic, and he's incredible and you both hang out so much. You two are really close and I'm worried you'll just get bored of being with normal me."

"Colin, normal for me _is_ extraordinary," Jamie pointed out. "I love being able to come home with you to just make dinner or watch a movie and sit on the couch. I like not having anything depend on me like the world is going to end. _You_ , this _life_ , it's what I want."

Colin looked at her straight in the eyes and right then and there he could see it. She really was happy with him, and she didn't want anything different. "I love you," he told her.

Jamie was taken aback. She hadn't expected to hear him say that. She didn't know why it hit her so hard though. They hadn't been dating long, two months really, but their relationship had moved far quicker than she ever would have imaged it would.

Was she really ready to say she loved him? She cared a great deal for Colin. She was sweet and kind and funny. He wasn't perfect and there were things that got on her nerves, but there were things about everybody that got on her nerves. It was nothing she couldn't live with.

But did she love him?

The knock came at the door at the perfect time. Jamie jumped. "Oh, I've gotta get that!" she exclaimed, wiggling out of Colin's hold. She felt extremely bad for not saying something to Colin as she made her way to the door. But what could she say? They had only been dating for two months. Was that enough time to know if she was in love? Apparently it was enough for him.

Jamie didn't want to think about that now though. She didn't want to bring down the evening. If she didn't get herself straightened out, Steve would know something was off and then the whole night would be more awkward than it already was going to be.

The brunette opened the door and smiled brightly at Steve. "Hey, come on in!" she exclaimed, moving to the side to allow Steve in before she shut the door behind him.

Steve was wearing a nice buttoned gray dress shirt with a pair of black khakis. His hair was combed neatly in his typical old fashioned way that she loved so much. In his hands was a bag of something that she couldn't identify. "Thank you," he said upon entry.

"Did you bring presents, Mr. Rogers?" Jamie asked teasingly.

"It's the polite thing to do, right?" he asked. "It's just some beer. I didn't know what anybody drank so…."

"Oh, that's fine," Jamie said. "Colin will drink anything."

"I resent that."

Jamie turned. Colin was leaning up against the wall of the hallway, hands in his pockets as he watched the two. He pushed off the wall, removing his hands from his pants, offering on hand to the blond. "Hey, nice to finally meet you, man. I'm CC."

"Steve," he offered, taking Colin's hand with an overly firm grip. "It's good to finally put a face to the name."

They stood there for a moment eyeing one another, backs straight and chests puffed out. Jamie just rolled her eyes and took the bag out of Steve's other hand. She left the two there in the hallway. Once in the kitchen, Jamie put the drinks in the fridge, though leaving two out for the men while she grabbing herself a can of soda instead.

 _Men and their manly egos,_ she thought. _I don't get it_. Jamie went into the dining room and set the drinks down at the individual place mats. _I have a feeling this is going to be a long night._ "Are you guys going to stand there all night, or are you going to come eat?" she called, sitting down herself.

"Food, I'll always choose food," Colin said, entering with Steve right behind him. "Plus, your cooking rocks."

"I didn't know you cooked," Steve said.

"I can cook, it just prefer not to," Jamie admitted. "It always tastes better when someone else makes your food."

"Ain't that the truth," Colin agreed.

"Okay, so we've got chicken, mashed potatoes and beans. Hope that sounds okay to everybody," Jamie said, passing the bowl of beans to her left to Colin.

"I'm sure whatever you'd make is fine," Steve assured her, taking the bowl from Colin.

"Just don't ask her to make Swedish meatballs," Colin told. He took the plate of chicken from Jamie and then the potatoes, piling them on. "I was afraid I had food poisoning."

"Okay, seriously? That was one time! And it was a bad recipe! The second batch I made with that other one was perfectly fine!"

Colin leaned forward, shaking his head at Steve as he harshly whispered in a joking manner, " _Never again_!"

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "So, Jamie tells me you work for the police department."

"Yeah," he said. "For the last six years. And you do what exactly?"

"I work for SHIELD," Steve answered.

"So secret spy stuff?" Colin asked. "Must be hard not being able to talk about work with anybody."

"Well, Black Widow and Hawkeye both work for SHIELD, so I'm sure he could talk to them if he needs," Jamie said. "Right?"

"They're Avengers too, right?" Colin asked.

"Yes," Steve answered.

"So I guess you job takes up a lot of your time," Colin unquired. "You have to travel and stuff."

"Can't really talk about where I go, but yeah, it takes up a good deal of time," Steve answered.

"Have you spoken to either of them lately?" Jamie asked.

"I haven't seen Hawkeye around, but I have seen Widow," he answered. "She's as stoic as ever."

Jamie chuckled. "Of course she is," she said after finishing a mouthful of food. "She's the Black Widow. I would expect nothing less. I should try and get in contact with her though. I feel like I owe her for trying to save my life."

"Save your life?" Colin asked.

"Yeah, she performed CPR on me," Jamie answered.

"Really?" he asked with a smirk.

"Get your mind outof the gutter, Greer," Jamie scolded, kicking him lightly under the table.

"But you two did kiss, right?" Colin asked.

"I don't think it really counts as kissing," Jamie said.

"You can talk to her during the upcoming fundraiser," Steve told her. "Tony hear you were going with Johnny so now he wants the whole Team to attend."

"Wait, you're going with that guy you work for?" Colin asked.

"Johnny? Yeah, I thought I told you that."

"No, I would have remembered you telling me something like that." Colin didn't seem so relaxed about that as he had when he found out she had locked lips with the redhaired woman. "I mean, the guy's reputation with women is almost worse than Stark's."

"He's not a bad guy," Jamie defended. "And I'm pretty much just going to be his company."

"Doesn't make me feel any better."

"If it's any consolation, I've met him and though I don't really approve of his habits, he doesn't seem to disrespect Jamie," Steve said. "And I'll be there to keep an eye on him."

"I don't need a babysitter," Jamie pointed out.

"And I don't like any of this, Jameson," Colin said.

"Oh, you know that I hate being called that!" Jamie groaned.

"Jameson?" Steve chuckled.

"Yeah, Jamie's a nickname, turns out," Colin said. "Her real name's Jameson."

"I was really happy having that a secret," Jamie said, kicking again.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Colin assured her.

"Doesn't mean I like it," she said.

"I don't know, I kind of like it," Steve admitted. "It's very…"

"Stuck up?"

"No, I was going to say classy," Steve corrected.

"Yeah, my brother and I were a pair: Everett and Jameson. Which is really weird 'cause my father's name was Carl. Mom was a bit classier sounding. Clemence. Her family was from France or something."

Someone's phone buzzed from their pocket, and it wasn't Jamie's. Colin glanced between Steve and Jamie, wondering whose it was, which left it to be Steve. The blond apologized as he pulled out his phone and read a text message on the cheap phone. "I'm really sorry," he repeated. "I'm getting called in."

"Don't worry about it," Jamie said. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll walk you to the door."

"It was nice to finally meet you," Steve said, offering his hand to Colin.

"You too, man," Colin replied.

"Sorry, I'm missing out on the pie," Steve admitted as he and Jamie headed to the door.

"I'll save you some if Colin doesn't eat it all," Jamie laugh. "If that happens I'll make you a whole pie for yourself."

"You don't have to do that," he admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"No, I owe you for coming over," she said. "I really appreciated this, Steve. Really."

"Anything for you," he said with a small shrug. "Again, sorry I have to leave early."

"As long as you're careful out there, I'll forgive you," Jamie said. She leaned up and kissed Steve on the cheek as a farewell. "Take care."

"I will, I promise," he said, hesitantly leaning down to give her a farewell peck on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

Jamie went back to the dining room after Steve's departure to find Colin leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, eyes staring out at the black night just beyond the windows. Jamie went up behind him, pushing all four legs of the chair back down onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Well, he's intimidating," Colin muttered.  
"I don't think so," Jamie said.

"Of course you don't," he said. "You're his best friend."

"We weren't always best friends though." Jamie shifted her head and placed a light, lingering kiss below Colin's ear. "He didn't intimidate me then either."

"Yeah, but you're amazing and you've been through so much. He wouldn't intimidate _you_."

"I don' know what to say to you then," Jamie admitted. "There isn't really anything I can do about it."

"Then don't say anything."

Jamie backed up, shifting so she could look at her boyfriend head on. "Are you okay, Colin?"

"Yeah, yeah," he assured, forcing a smile. "I, uh, I'm gonna turn in for the night, okay? I've got an early shift in the morning."

"Oh, okay," Jamie muttered. She wasn't convinced everything was fine, but she couldn't force him to tell her. Jamie kissed him goodnight. "Night, Col."

"Night."

Jamie sighed, turning to the dirty plated. She piled them on top of one another and went to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. _So much for a nice evening with my boys._

* * *

 **So several introductions between characters, some better than others. Anyway, hope you guys liked it. About eight or so more chapters before Condolence, which has already been started and has several chapters written...Hope you guys liked the chapter! Please review!**

Thanks to the following readers for their reviews:

 _ **Jo** _ \- Yes, yes it is and I don't know how bad you think things are going to get, but stuff sure is gonna happen. Glad you like where it's going though.

 _ **shugokage**_ \- I'm glad you liked the chapter!

 _ **Jesla777** _ \- I wish someone would buy me flowers...maybe not with a creepy message but whatever. I actually haven't seen Ant Man yet...I feel ashamed. But as soon as it's out I'll watch it. And Generally I incorporate every movie in some way or another, even if it's just mentioned in the news or whatnot. I'm sure I'll be thinking about how to incorporate it every second I watch it though. I do want to incorporate Guardians as well, but waiting to plan some of that out more though. I like for future installations to be made before anything is set. Like before I finish Solace, I would have wanted Cap 2 to come out just to make sure nothing I planned in the first story wouldn't contradict something in the coming movie, you know? Yes, it's the old Fantastic 4, and there is a scene I have planned for just that...maybe not from Jay though. You'll just have to wait and see.

 _ **KEZZ 1**_ \- Hope this was work the wait and everything you wanted it to be!

 _ **LateNightOwl**_ \- Yes, those dang evil flowers. I'm surprised they didn't attack her with thorns or anything!...I say this like I'm not the one writing it or something...Yeah, I probably wouldn't have dismissed that message either. Jamie, get you head in the game!

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- I don't know, who do you think sent the flowers? I'd love to hear what you think, even if they're wrong. DUDE, if you write any fanfiction about this fanfiction, let me know. I'd love to read it. You're perfectly welcome to do so if you want. I'd be incredibly honored/flattered if it made you want to, even if you don't. Glad you liked the chapter and let me know what you think about this one!

 _ **Knighthawk993** _ \- Lol, I wish I had an arch nemesis! I probably shouldn't, but I do! Even if they are flowers...I'm sure Jamie feels the same way...Oh wait, I already have something planned for that...(Spoilers!) Yes, I love how you picked up on his reluctance. You have all of that spot on, as well as the not realizing part. Hope you enjoyed the reading!


	27. 94

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Daredevil, Fantastic 4, etc. You guys know what I own.**

* * *

Chapter 27  
94

"Honey, I'm home!"

Jamie just rolled her eyes. she was in her bedroom pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She didn't move to go and greet Colin. She knew very well he would make his way to her as she finished getting ready. She straightened her black and white striped short sleeved tee-shirt, tucked into the waisted navy blue shorts she had on.

Colin came in, walking straight up to her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her to his chest as he placed a kiss to the exposed skin on her neck. "Hey there, Babe."

"Hey, how was work?" she asked, running around to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Terrible. I missed you the whole time," he said.

"You, honey, are a suck up," Jay accused.

"Yes, but that's what you like about me," he said. "Anyway, you look fantastic. Ready to head out?"

"Just about," she answered.

"Great, just let me get changed," Colin exclaimed.

"Changed for what?" Jamie asked, slipping her shoes on.

"You know, we're going out with Foggy and Matt," Colin said.

"No, I'm going out with Steve," she said. "It's his birthday."

"But I already promised them we'd be there," he said.

"And I told you last week that I was planning something for Steve's birthday," Jamie said, looking up at him from the bed.

Colin's tone was rising. "I didn't know that was today!" he defended. "I told them we were going!"

"And I told Steve I'd hang out with him!" Jamie shot back.

Colin scoffed, turning his back to her. "Because you'd drop _everything_ for him, wouldn't you," he muttered, a hand slipping through his hair.

"I'm not _dropping_ anybody!" she defended. "I told you I had plans. What is the problem here, Colin?"

"The problem is that I think Steve's more important to you than I am!"

"You're the one that made plans that included me without even _checking_ first!"

"I thought you'd be happy I tried to plan something for us!"

"I am, but that doesn't change the fact that I already have plans!"

"With _Steve_!"

"Oh, Steve has nothing to do with this!"

"The hell he doesn't," Colin spat.

"Yes, he doesn't, and I don't get why you're so jealous of my friendship with him! You're the one I love!"

"It's because h-," Colin froze, his angry expression morphing into a much more confused one. "What did you say?"

"I said…" _Oh_ , she thought. _I said that, didn't I?_ It had been so instinctual and she hadn't really realized that it came out. She wasn't doubting it though. If something felt that natural to say then she knew, at least for herself, that it was true. "I love you?"

Colin stepped forward, in intense look in his eyes. "You do?"

Jamie nodded her head. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Colin. I'm not that kind of girl."

"I just...You've never told me that before," he said softly. He placed a hand on her cheek, gently caressing it. "It's just, I...I love you too, Jamie."

Hearing him say that again had an effect that she hadn't really expected. It wasn't anything bad. After hearing him say it the first time when she hadn't been expecting it, when she didn't really know if she felt the same way, she had no idea how to feel and that terrified her. But now hearing it really comforted her and got her all excited in more ways than she could possibly imagine.

Jamie bit her lip, a red blush dusting her cheeks. Placing her hand on his hips, she leaned in closer to him, her chest pressed up against his. "Well, are you going to kiss me or what?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll do more than that…"

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit," Jamie cursed, hopping as quickly as she could while putting her shoe back on. "I'm so fucking late!"

"Not what I want to hear after mind blowing sex, dear!" Colin followed her out of the bedroom, thouh he wasn't in much of a hurry, it seemed. He wasn't even dressed, or covered or moving to do such a thing. "Makes me think you're pregnant or something….You're not pregnant, are you?"

"What? No!" Jamie exclaimed. She stopped at the mirror by the door, fixing her mess she called hair. "But I'm thirty minutes late to pick up Steve."

"Uh, you're still going out with him tonight?" he asked. "Why don't we just stay in tonight and watch the fireworks from the roof and have even more mind blowing sex?"

"Because it's his birthday and he doesn't have anybody else to spend it with," Jamie said. "I'm not going to let him spend another birthday alone. He's had far too many of them, even if he wasn't awake for them."

"I hate how much you live up to your superhero name!" Colin groaned, though by his expression he wasn't intending it to come out as insulting. "Give me a kiss first though. Then you can go."

Jamie rushed back over to him and pecked him far quicker than he would have liked before yelling, with her back turned to the exposed officer, "Bye. Love yo-shit!"

Jamie topped just outside her door. In her rush to leave she hadn't really been paying attention and ended up stepping on another bouquet of flowers propped up against her door frame.

"What?" Colin asked, wrapping the blanket from the back of the couch around himself (which Jamie made a mental note to wash later before anybody used it). This time they were read Amaryllis flowers. They were beautiful and if they had come from anybody other than who she knew they had come from (or rather lack thereof) she would have loved them. But they just gave her a large sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And the card made her want to vomit.

"You know they mean worth beyond beauty, right?" Colin asked. "Whoever this sick psycho is knows what he's talking about with you." Jamie gave him a look. "What? Doesn't mean I approve of him sending flowers to my girl. Does this one have a card, babe?"

Jamie cleared her throat, nodding her head. "Uh, yeah," she answered. It says, "Some die looking for a hand to hold, but I know that eventually your hand will be in mine. And our hearts combined until death do us part." And that is one way to scare a girl to death."

"I'll kill this guys," Colin stated. "I'll file a report and I'll track him down so he doesn't both you anymore, okay? He can't get away with freaking you out like this."

Jamie nodded her head, and practically shoved the flowers to him, though the card was still in her hand. She shoved her hands into her pockets, still nodding her head. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I, uh, I'm gonna go."

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"It'll take a little more than that to stop me, but it just gives me the creeps," she admitted. "I'll be fine. And I'm still really late so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Jamie turned and left without waiting for him to answer. She knew he's offer to stay in again and now she really wanted to take him up on that offer. But she had to go to Steve. She promised and if it was one thing she was good on was her promises. She just didn't know what she was going to tell Steve. He had been concerned the first time she told him about the flower person. She was afraid of what Colin would do to him if he caught them, but she was even more worried about what Steve would do if he found out.

 _What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?_

* * *

Jamie didn't know what had Steve so twitchy. She didn't think it was her driving. She was a rather decent driver. Perhaps more along the lines of a soldier's driving, but still legal and decent. Maybe he didn't like birthdays? Or maybe just his own? Or was it the '80's music playing from the catch-me-up section of playlists she had on her iPod for Steve?

"So you two were fighting?"

"Yeah, but it's all good now," Jamie said.

"What did he say this time?" Steve asked. "I have to admit, that Greer doesn't seem like the type to hold back what he's thinking."

"Well, you're not wrong there," Jamie said. "But really, Steve, it's nothing to worry about. It's all good. Every couple has their spats every once in a while."

"As long as you're sure," he muttered. "I hate to think that he was disrespecting you in any way. You deserve far better than that. You deserve someone who thinks the world of you."

Jamie smirked, a blush and a flutter admitting from her stomach. It wasn't everyday someone told her that, and she was flattered Steve, of all the honorable people, thought that. "You think too highly of me, hon, but thanks. Can we change the subject though?"

"Where are we going?" he asked for the fourth time. His left hand was on his knee, fingers tapping away at his blue jeans. His right hand was holding onto the handle right above the door.

"No."

"Come on, Jamie. Where are you taking me?"

"No, telling you would defeat the purpose of it being a surprise," Jamie pointed out.

"I'm not really a fan of surprises, _Jameson_."

Jamie ignored the fact that he had just called her by her actual name. "And I don't really care right now, _Steven_."

"It's my birthday so if I want you to tell me where we're going, you're obligated to tell me, right?" Steve tried.

"Oh, you're pulling that card, are you?" she chuckled.

"Is it working?" he asked.

"No, but nice try," she offered.

"Please, Jay?"

"Jay?" she asked. "Huh, that's actually a new one. Nobody's ever called me that before."

"Is that okay?" he asked. "I mean, I like Jamie and all, and you do too. But you don't like Jameson though I do. I don't really see why you don't like it. But Jay is quicker to say and it's kind of nice having my own nickname for you. But if you don't like it then I won-"

"Hon, you're freaking out over nothing," Jamie pointed out. "I like it. You're good."

"Okay, good," he said. as _Every Breath You Take_ came on. "Can we at least not try and play catch-up tonight? I'm not really in the mood," he said with a long sigh, eyes watching the buildings as they passed by.

Jamie reached for her ipod once they got to a red stop light. She began searching for something else instead as Steve watched her.

"Ah, please Jamie? It's actually making me ho-"

Jamie finally found the playlist she was looking for and selected it. The light changed and on she went, while Steve continued to stare at her. "What?" she asked, glancing over at him before returning her eyes to the road.

"Bing Crosby?" he asked. " _I'll Be Seeing You?_ You have this on here for me?"

"I have a lot of songs on here for you," she informed him. "Including a playlist of songs you would have listened to from your time." She parked the car at a rather abandoned dock on the river. "Everybody likes to be a little nostalgic every once in awhile." Jamie unbuckled, but kept the car on so that the music wouldn't turn off. "Now come on. Out of the car."

Jamie go out but didn't stray far. In fact, instead of being inside the car, she got on top of the trunk and made herself comfortable. "Come on," she said, patting the spot next her. "Hop up. Now it's just a waiting game."

"What's a waiting game?" he asked.

As if to answer his question, over their heads was a large, bright explosion of color. "Well, you obviously know your birthday is Independence day, so I figured we could just sit back and watch the fireworks celebrating our freedom. Enjoy the free world for just a minute without anybody depending on us to protect that."

Steve smiled and moved to the spot next to her. They both laid there with their backs on the back window, staring up at the sky in silence. Jamie shifted, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Steve, who was smiling and relaxed for once. He looked happy and at ease. It was so nice seeing him like that. Steve carried the weight of the world on his shoulders; a burden he didn't need to carry, at least not alone.

He was always the one making her feel better, even when he didn't know it. She always felt so relaxed with him. She had a good time and she didn't constantly have to worry about anything. It was just her and him and watching movies or listening to music. It was eating burgers and pie and talking and comfortable silences because neither of them had to talk. They just loved the company and the presence. Steve was all that for her, and she just wanted to be that for him. He deserved that more than anybody.

"Happy birthday, Steve," she told him, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Jay," he told her. "Thanks for just being here. It means a lot."

"Of course," she told him. "You're my best friend, Steve. I'm not going anywhere."

He turned his head, looking at her oddly for a moment. "Bucky used to say something like that to me," he told her. "'I'm with you 'til the end of the line.'"

"Well, Bucky knew a good thing when he saw it then," Jamie said, bumping him with her shoulder. "I won't steal your line, but it's the same concept."

"Good," he said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You know what? Me either."

* * *

 **Sorry this one was a bit on the short side. I wanted to do something special for Steve's birthday and it had originally been something different, but then I didn't like that idea anymore but I still wanted them to do something. Also wanted a jealous Colin (who still really isn't a fan of Steve's and vice versa)...But Jamie loves him so there's that...and more flowers so...Wonder where that'll lead...Mwhahahah...Anyway, hope you guys like the chapter. Let me know what you think in a review.**

 **Okay, so I've been having trouble with one particular spot in Cap 2, so it anybody wants to help out, let me know and I'll shoot you a PM.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews:

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Glad it was interesting. Anything in particular you liked about it or just overall? Hope you like this one too!

 _ **seasidewriter1**_ \- Don't worry about it. I know the struggles. Especially since I only have 8 more days of classes and then 2 days with 5 finals split between them...So yeah, I get the struggles. I was definelt aiming for tense and whatnot for the dinner, but with some actual conversation too because even the most awkward can go a little smoother at some point before going down hill again. Oh, feel free to let me know what the ideas are on the flowers. I'd love to hear. I totally binge watched Jessica Jones too so now I know what's going on in that department and have ideas on how to incorporate some stuff from there into here, though not as easily as Daredevil. And I look forward to your Solace snippet, I say that a lot...

 _ **Jesla777**_ \- That comes up in two chapters (the look alike scene). The chapter's called Party Time, if I do recall correctly. I'm really anxious to see Ant Man too. At least I don't have to wait too long. It comes out in a couple weeks, I think. Phil's coming too, but that's further off. Jamie does meet him, I promise. Though not everybody does so...Spoiler, I guess? I'm even thinking about doing a separate Agents of SHIELD section of the saga. As of right now, I have a large portion of season 2 in the next part, Condolence, but I'm not sure if I want to leave it in there or to do another section because of how long it'll be though. So not really sure. I'll probably just do it in one though.

 _ **Jo**_ \- Hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- Yeah, I've got this whole thing where I always picture Steve being a forehead kiss kind of guy. Dude, chocolate is such a weakness of mine. I love it so much...Great, now I want chocolate. So there was more tension between Colin and Jamie again, though it was resolved. And even more bonding with Steve. It was almost romantic.


	28. Abilities

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. Just Jamie and her story.**

* * *

Chapter 28  
Abilities

Colin had taken to staying at Jamie's place almost every night of the week. It was easier than having to get up in the middle of the night or morning for him to go home and sleep or get ready for justmade sense for him to have some things at her place so he could get ready there and go to work without being tired. He was a cop, after all and they needed as much rest as they could get to do their work.

To avoid tipping off Colin that something was wrong with her she would get up after he fell asleep to pace in the kitchen, or to even go out for another run, despite having already ran with Steve. She would even go out and get food, even though she already ate four times more than the average female during a normal scheduled meal.

Something was seriously wrong, and Jamie knew it, but she wasn't in the best state of mind because of it. Which mean she wasn't really doing what she should have been doing if she were in a right state of mind. If she had been in a right state, she would have called Amir far sooner.

Jamie couldn't sleep. At first it would just be a couple days and then she'd be able to sleep for a few hours one night before the cycle would continue. However, the length of time between sleep had drastically increased. The longest a person had gone without sleep without a stimulant was just over eleven days. Jamie had gone three weeks without sleeping. And that wasn't the only thing either. She couldn't get full. No matter how much she ate, Jamie couldn't satisfy her hunger. It was like she was burning it off before she even got it into her stomach. She was far too anxious. She couldn't sit still, needing to constantly moving something: tapping fingers, bouncing leg, walking, etc.

She was exhausted, yet completely full of energy at the same time. It was physically and mentally exhausting. It was causing a near constant jackhammer behind her eyes. It was a wonder she could even concentrate on anything with it thumping against against her brain and her skull.

It was around two in the morning one Tuesday morning that Jamie found herself pacing in her kitchen. She was in a cold sweat, stuck between being freezing and shivering with a need for twelves sweaters, and being hot from how much she was shivering and from her movements. Her head was pounding, causing her eyes to have a nearly constant flow of tears streaming down her puffy cheeks from blood shot eyes.

To be honest, she looked like a drug addict in withdrawal.

She had the munchies (if you could call it that) like she was high too.

She stopped pacing, her eyes landing on the fridge for the second time that morning. She had already raided the fridge and the cabinets, eating all of the peanut butter, bread, ramen noodles, and three frozen TV dinners Colin had saved for when Jamie worked those late shifts (because he couldn't cook to save his life).

Jamie practically tore the door off of the fridge, pulling out whatever she could get her hands on that was edible before going to the cabinets once more, leaving the fridge door open. She ended up with a massive bowl of mixed ingredients that would have made anybody vomit eating it all together. She would have too if she were in any right state. She had gathered ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, fluff, butter, bread crumbs, vanilla extract, gravy master, and raw eggs,

All of the commotion in the kitchen had woken up Colin, who had peacefully been sleeping with an arm and a leg hanging off the bed (which Jamir found weird and highly uncomfortable, but he managed to end up that way every night). He slowly walked in, feel scuffling off the hardwood floor. "What the hell are you doing up at this hour?" he asked, rubbing one of his eyes.

Jamie didn't answer. She just kept shoveling the food into her mouth, managing to get it all in without any of her face somehow. None of it could be wasted. She needed it all. Energy. Energy, she needed more. She wouldn't get that if it was wasted on her face or clothes.

"Jamie? What's going on? What the hell are you eating?" He walked up next to her, looking over her shoulder to the contents in the bowl. "Jesus, babe, what the hell are you eating?"

Jamie didn't respond. Colin was getting really worried now. "Jamie, hon, why don't you come back to bed?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, feeling the intense temperature of her skin. She generally ran slightly higher than the average individual due to the energy, but this was far more than even that. "Jesus, Babe, you're burning up."

" _Interesting."_

Jamie froze, the voice hauntingly familiar. A shiver when up her spine, and this time it wasn't from the cold sweat or fever.

" _The recovery process greatly resembles the symptoms of withdrawal, with the added hunger effect."_

Jamie pushed herself back, knocking the bowl over on the island counter, and tipping herself over and out of her stool. She landed hard on the floor, hitting her head and shoulder off the cabinet behind her. "No, no, no, no," she muttered repeatedly. pushing herself further and further away.

"Jamie!" Colin was at her side in a second. He tried to pull her to him, to stand her up and bring her to the couch, but she was squirming far too much for that. "Jamie, calm down. What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong."

" _This is highly unanticipated."_

The hallucination of Dr. Hull knelt down beside her, on the opposite side Colin was. He reached out a hand to touch her on the head, but Jamie cried out, pushing herself into Colin's hold. The Estonian man smirked, placing a hand to his chin as he muttered in thought.

" _Her temperature is causing hallucinations,"_ he said. " _Very interesting indeed."_

"You';re not real, you're not real," Jamie muttered, shaking her head.

"Jamie, I'm real. I'm right here."

" _I may not be real, but I do seem like it, don't I?"_ Hull reach forward again. He stroked her hair, which if had been Colin would have been calming, but from this play of the mind, caused Jamie to hyperventilate. " _And I terrify you just as much as your days as my pet. Those were quite informative, weren't they? My first successful little test."_

"Breathe, Jamie," Colin instructed. "Deep breathes. In out, in out. Come on, do that for me. Do it with me. In out."

 _In out. In out._

Jamie tried, but Hull just laughed. " _You know, since I got away, I won't give up on my little projects. That's probably why you're having this hallucination. You're feeling guilty that you couldn't get to me. You hate everything about me, and I'm walking free. Perhaps I'll find another individual, just like you. Just as_ special _and successful."_

 _Inoutinoutinout_. Jamie was trying to breathe, but hearing all that was making it incredibly difficult to focus on in. Her breaths were gasped and labored. It was a wonder how she hadn't passed out yet.

" _Maybe I'll start with someone_ younger _. Have time to convince them that what we're doing is righteous and for the sake of science. Children are very impressionable, I hear."_

Jamie struggled to get out of Colin's hold. Her breathing was no better than it was. In fact, it was worse. _No, no. Not kids. Anything but that!_ She tried to lunge at Hull, but obviously she couldn't move very well, and as she tipped forward, her head went straight through the hallucinations chest. _Take me. Do anything you want to me. Just not kids. Anything but kids_.

The brunette had reached her limit. Her lungs were screaming for oxygen, and her body was far too exhausted. The woman collapsed to the floor, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as a secure took over her body.

"Jamie! Jamie!" Colin yelled, trying to get her to answer him.

Colin had absolutely no idea what was going on. What was he supposed to do? Would a hospital be able to help? Jamie wasn't normal, after all. Was everything inside her the same as a regular person? He knew that was probably a stupid thought, but he had no clue!

There was only one person he knew of that he could get in contact with in order to try and help his girlfriend. It was difficult to leave her side, but he had no other choice. Colin got up off the floor and bolted it to the bedroom, grabbing Jamie's charging phone and found the contact of that single person.

"Steve? Oh, thank God. Something's wrong with Jamie. I-I don't know what to do!"

* * *

The gurney was pushed with extreme urgency, a cluster of doctors surrounded by the unconscious brunette woman strapped to said moving device. Two others trailed behind the gurney, both extremely freaked out, though one was holding it together far better than the other.

The three had been flown from the hospital on a quinjet to a much more secure and qualified location to figure out just what was going on with Jamie and to take care of her. Steve knew where they were, but Colin was completely out of his element. Not only was he freaking out about his girlfriend, but he was in a top secret facility.

"You must stay here," Amir called to the two.

"I am not leaving her!" Colin protested.

Steve was reluctant as well, but he knew that Amir was the most qualified to take care of her. "He's the best qualified to take care of her," Steve said, grabbing Colin's arm. "She's in good hands."

"How do you know? She's not normal like us- me! What makes this guy so speci-"

"Because he's her personal doctor," Steve said "He's the only one that knows how Jamie's abilities affects her body."

Steve dragged Colin over to the small waiting room where Steve leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed and Colin pacing the length of the room. "I don't like this."

"You think any of us do?" Steve asked.

"I don't like doing nothing!" Colin corrected.

"There's not much we can do, Greer," Steve said.

"B-But what's wrong? What's going on? Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. We just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Doctor, what do you think it is?"

"It is her abilities, they are coming back all at once. It too much for her body to take. We need to get her i-"

"Doctor, she's going into cardiac arrest!"

"Oh, Child, what have you gotten yourself into this time…"

* * *

Colin knew, from the others on the force as well as his own family, that being a relative of a cop and in a relationship with one was very difficult. They were always in danger and the constant worry was painful to deal with. He suspected that it was like that for military as well.

Not knowing if they were going to come home, or if they were even alive that very moment. Was a calling going to come in to tell them their loved one was dead? The stress and anxiety was horrendous. How did people live like that? How would they deal and go on with their day like the person they loved most wasn't out there in such danger?

He had no idea how people did it.

Because he, for one, wasn't handling it well. And he wasn't dealing well.

He didn't think he'd ever be able to deal wit it.

Jamie, after all, was extraordinary. And she had admitted several time before to him that if she could, she would have still been in the military. And he was sure now, that as her abilities came back, SHIELD would want to recruit her. After all, they had used her before and that had turned out wonderfully. They were all still alive, weren't they? And he knew Jamie. He knew that she loved ordinary, but she loved doing the right thing more. And working with SHIELD was what the right thing was (for the most part).

So where would that leave him? Sitting at home alone most of the time worrying to death about if she was going to come back home in one piece? If she was going to come home at all.

Some people were cut out for that, but he sure as hell didn't know if he was.

* * *

"We got her back, Doctor!"

Amir sighed in relief, but their job wasn't nearly over. He wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. The reemergence of power wasn't something they had gone through together, but there were similarities to when her abilities first appeared. Though her body had the energy in it now, it wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been on a regular basis. It was very similar though, as her body was fighting it, and trying to accept it all at once.

"Doc, she's awake."

"Jamie, can you hear me?"

Jamie eyes moved with great difficulty to meet with his own. It was very obvious she was in a great deal of pain. Focus was almost impossible for her to do, but she was managing it for the short duration of their conversation.

"We have to put you back in the stabilization tank."

That tank still gave Jamie nightmares. She had almost drowned in there. It hasn't been pleasant whatsoever. She didn't want to go in. Going back in was the very last thing she wanted to happen. Though, perhaps, dying was that last thing on that list. She tried to shake her head to tell him no, she didn't want to go back in there, but it didn't really happen.

"I know you do not like it, but it's the only way to stabilize your body's reaction, Child."

* * *

For the majority of the following week, Jamie was trapped in that tank unconscious as her abilities returned. They had returned in full, and she was no longer in pain. But she was still unconscious due to just how exhausted she was from everything that had happened, and the lack of sleep.

Amir monitored her very closely, and only let a select few individuals into see her after they had removed her from the tank. Before that, only him and the staff working on her were allowed in. Colin and Steve were very upset about that.

But once she was placed in a bed Colin and Steve were allowed in for small periods, even though she wasn't awake. Colin was sitting in one of the two rather uncomfortable looking arm chairs in the room, staring off at the glass wall that was connected to the hallway and the door into the hallway. He seemed very lost in thought with deep purple marks under his eyes, and disheveled hair.

"You look like shit," Jamie croaked out.

Colin jumped, and a second later he was by her side, taking her hand as he brought his chair closer. "You scared the hell out of me, Baby," he told her, bringing her hand up to kiss it. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm sorry," she said, which ended up with her coughing.

"You better be." Colin scolded her gently. he raised from his seat and retrieved her a glass of water from the pitcher on the table beside her.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

About a week," he answered.

Jamie groaned, lifting her hands to run through her hair. "Have you been here this whole time?"

"Yeah, what else could I do?" Colin asked her as he came back, holding a cup to her lips.

"Thank you," she said. "For staying, and the help, but I can do that myself, Love."

"No you can't. You're in the hospital for a reason."

"Even after I got my abilities I could lift a cup to drink, this is no different," Jamie said.

"Just rest okay, don't argue please." Colin sighed.

"Colin, honey, I'll be okay," she said. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"It's not that easy and you know it." Colin told her. "You can't just say stop and it magically stops."

"I know, I know," Jamie muttered, taking his hand. "But everthing is okay now. I'll be back to work and home soon. A couple days, at most. I mean, when this happened it was a week before they threw me back into my cell. Being home is far safer than a cell so I can go home sooner."

"But you're not home now." Colin pointed out. "Just let me do this."

Jamie signed. Colin wasn't from her world. Her bizarre, dangerous, horrific world that her and all of the Avengers and soldiers were used to. "Okay, if it makes you feel better," she said. "For a kiss."

"I can do that." He grinned and ducked down quickly to capture her lips in his, her chin captured between his fingers.

"Looks like someone's feeling better."

The two pulled back, their eyes landing on the doorway where a comforting blond stood leaning against the frame. His hands were growing potatoes in his pockets, his hair even messier than Colin's heaping mess.

"Steve," Jamie greeted.

"Jamie," Steve said walking around and going to the other chair on the other side of her bed. He took her other hand. "You scared the hell out of everyone."

"I'm going to be apologizing a lot lately, aren't I?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, yeah." Steve chuckled. "I suggest Tony first, you know how dramatic he can be."

"Yeah, 'cause that's exactly what I need, Stark up my ass," Jamie muttered.

"Language!" Steve scolded.

Colin leaned in with a smirk and whispered in her ear, "It's a good thing he's never heard what you say in bed then," he chuckled.

"Colin!" Jamie scolded, swatting him on the arm with a red painted face.

"I don't want to know do I?" Steve asked his face red.

"Nope," Colin answered with a smirk. He liked having something on Jamie that Steve didn't know.

"Okay then." Steve coughed a bit. "So when did she wake up?"

"Couple minutes ago," Colin answered.

"You could just ask me," Jamie pointed out. "I am sitting right here."

"Yeah well you brush everything off. He'll give me an honest answer." Steve said.

"Something we agree on." Colin scoffed.

"I don't brush everything off," Jamie grumbled, slouching down in her bed.

"Yes you do." The men told her both crossing their arms in almost the same way.

"Fine then, give me an example," she demanded.

"The time you died." Steve said. "That's a big one."

"That couldn't be helped! It was either risk it or let the world get taken over by aliens," Jamie said. "Not my fault!"

"Your stalker," Colin brought up.

"That's not necessarily my fault either. The first time they sent me flowers could have just been a one time deal, and then when I got more you said you were going to look into it for me so I technically didn't brush it off."

"But you have to admit you make light of things others would take very seriously." Steve said.

"With the crap I've been through? Maybe this stuff just doesn't seem as big to me," she thought.

"Okay so next time I get shot, I'll just handle it myself." Steve shrugged. "Okay yeah sure. No big deal." he leaned back, hands laced behind his head.

"No you will not, _Steven Grant Rogers_!"

"You said it yourself, compared to what else we go through it's no big deal." Steve shrugged.

"Getting shot is still getting _shot_ , you dumbass," Jamie said, throwing one of her pillows at him.

"And dying is dying, Stupid.," Colin said hitting her on the forehead gently.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" she retorted.

"But, there was a point in time where you weren't," Steve said.

"God, she pisses me off when she's like this," Colin muttered.

"You both suck," Jamie grumbled lightly, crossing her arms over her chest.

The men looked at each other and shared a hesitant smile. "We know."

* * *

 **I goofed up on the chapter count until the next section. After this chapter there are only four chapters. Isn't that exciting?**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews:

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Yeah, Colin's not an unreasonable guy. Jealous, but well, who wouldn't be jealous when his gf's bff is Captain America.

 _ **Jelsa777**_ \- Thank you again for your help. I've already started the scene from the idea you gave me and I have to say, I'm liking where it's going. Next chapter as come familiar faces, and then the next even more; all the Avengers included. I thought you'd be excited to hear that. OOOOOOOOOH and I finally watched Ant Man and I'm really excited for the idea that I got for it. ;)

 _ **KEZZ 1** _ \- I hope you liked the chapter and that it was worth the wait.

 _ **Guest** _ \- Colin wouldn't dare tell her who she can and can't hang out with. He's a jealous man, but she's not unreasonable or unrealistic. He's just very observant, which is what causes his actions in the next chapter. Oh, and don't worry about not saying Jamie's name. I don't really care. I'm just flattered you took the time to review as well. (And half the time spellcheck tries to change the spelling of it anyways so it doesn't really matter). And don't feel bad about what you feel about Colin. You're entitled to feel any which way you like. I don't mean for him to be horrible, but he does have a right to be a bit jealous because, Jamie and Steve so in fact, have unrealized feelings for one another. Something does happen and you shall see very soon what it is. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to hear from you again!

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- Yes, she'd gladly pay you in chocolate. Ahaha, if that had happened, it would have been so funny. I think Jamie would have been more embarrassed than Colin would have. Don't worry, Colin won't be around much longer.

 _ **Seasidewriter1**_ \- I look forward to your scene. Anyway, Perhaps it's the calm before the storm...Okay, you got me. It so is. Colin and Jamie won't be together much longer. I'm still thinking for Jessica Jones. I have some ideas with Trish, so maybe that's how it comes up but not exactly sure though...I'm really excited for Luke though. Luke has always been one of my favorites (even if his cartoon version in Ultimate Spider-Man is a bit different than this one). And no, it isn't Kilgrave...But is it horrible that I actually really liked him?

 _ **Jo** _ \- The admirer won't be revealed for a while, so you're going to have to wait and see, and just remember that it's there. And feel free to say who you think. I'd love to hear it, even if it isn't right.

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- Yeah, the boys are very jealous of one another. That's exactly what I wanted. Colin's purpose is to help push Steve and Jamie together in more ways than one: Steve realizing that he likes her, her realizing that she's happier with Steve even though Colin makes her happy too...But that's getting ahead of things. Oh yeah, my characters would hate me. I mean, firs off, I always make them orphans and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I bet you can't wait until the semester is over. I know I can't

 _ **Princess Nightmare99**_ \- That's exactly what I was trying to do. I wanted people to see Jamie for who she was as a person before anything else. And the love interest/relationship needs time to grow. I wanted it to be as realistic as I could make it in such an unrealistic world (though Marvel does rather well at keeping things grounded with superheros.) I was hoping people would like CC. It was my goal to have something pretty much everybody liked before what happens...which you'll see ad I can explain more later. Don't want to give too much away.


	29. Falling Apart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, The Avengers, The Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. Just Jamie and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 29  
Falling Apart

Bedrest was exactly what Jamie's body needed, but exactly what she _didn't_ want. She had been released three days after she awoke. Thankfully she had only been ordered three days of bedrest, though she was out of work for the remainder of that week. When there wasn't anybody around Jamie took to practicing her abilities again, which seemed to be far stronger than ever. Johnny and Steve came and kept her company during the day when they weren't busy and Colin was home at night because of his morning shifts.

But things were off with Colin lately. He wasn't as talkative and Jamie often found him spacing out. She thought they had been good. She asked him was was wrong, if there was something on his mind and he's deny anything troubling him. It worried her. It worried her so much that it had her confiding in others.

"He's been acting really weird lately," Jamie stated before placing a French fry in her mouth.

Matt and Foggy were sitting across from her at the raised bar table, grabbing a drink after work at Landman and Zack that evening.

"What do you mean by weird?" Foggy asked in a slightly slurred way from the amount of alcohol he has ingested.

"Quiet, spacey," she said. _We haven't had sex in almost a month,_ she thought as an add on, though didn't state that outloud.

"Perhaps he's just got a lot on his plate at work," Matt suggested. "There's talk that he's getting a promotion."

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" Jamie asked. "That's great news."

"Maybe he doesn't want to get anybody's hopes up just in case it doesn't happen," Foggy thought.

"I guess you've got a point," she admitted. Jamie's phone was barely audible from the sound of the rest of the people in the bar. She apologized and got up to answer her phone. The ID told her it was James.

"Hey, James, what's up?"

She heard him sign on the other end, and instantly, Jamie knew something was wrong. " _I've got bad news, Jamie."_

"I don't like the sound of this," she muttered, heading out of the door to get some quiet.

" _It's Patrick,"_ he told her. " _He's gone."_

"Gone? What do you mean by gone?" she asked. With them gone could have meant disappeared again. They needed to be a bit more specific.

" _He's dead, Jamie,"_ he clarified. " _Happened yesterday in Brussels. Car crash."_

But that didn't make any sense. Patrick was deployed in Afghanistan again. he had been there for months. And he certainly wouldn't go to Brussels on vacation. "What the hell was he doing in Brussels?"

" _I don't know,"_ he thought. " _Maybe he was on leave or something. I really just don't know. I just thought you would want to know"_

"R-Right, thanks, James."

" _I wish I could say it was my pleasure, but…."_

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later about the funeral."

" _Will do,"_ he said. " _I'll call you later."_

"Bye."

Jamie went back to the table and grabbed her jacket, tossing some money on the top of the table to pay for her meal. "Sorry, guys. I've gotta run out."

"Is everything okay?" Foggy asked.

"Uh, yes and no," she said. "Just got some bad news about a friend. Nothing we can really do about it though so…" she muttered.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Matt said.

"Yeah, but thanks for hanging out with me," she said. "I'll see you guys around."

* * *

Typically Jamie's entrances into her apartment were much more upbeat than it was that night. How could she possibly be excited to be home after hearing about Patrick's death. Now there were only two of them from the Americans left. After so much fighting to get out alive, he was dead and how? From a car crash in Brussels, she was told. It was just utterly ridiculous in her mind.

But it was true. Patrick was dead.

Jamie dropped her keys on the kitchen island, rubbing her temple as she sluggishly scoffed her feet across the floor. She halted in place when she saw Colin standing by the couch, as if he had shot up from his spot when she entered the apartment. That wasn't the sickening part though. Next to the coffee table was a duffle bag. And from the looks of it, it was stuffed.

Slowly her blue eyes met his own brown eyes. She could barely get her voice to come out of her tightening throat. "Colin?" she asked weakly.

"...hey." He said weakly.

Jamie wanted to move forward, or backwards. Anything really except being frozen there. "You're…" she started to say, but her voice dropped off. She cleared her throat, glancing down at her feet before back up to him, where they really didn't want to rest. Looking at him made this all too real. "You going somewhere?" she asked, hoping it wasn't away forever.

"Yeah," Colin said. "I'm...going now," he said sounding like he himself was choking.

Jamie let out a shaky sigh. "C-Can I know why? Did I...Did I do something wrong? I thought….I thought you were happy…"

"It's complicated. I am...was happy but...I'm not sure you are." Colin said. "Or at least not as much as you could be. And that's not a good feeling."

"I don't know what you mean," she said, her voice dripping in pain and confusion. She finally managed to moveforward, to the back of the couch. She was closer to Colin, but the couch still separated them. " _You're_ what makes me happy."

"I make you happy, but not the happiest." Colin explained. "I know it's crazy but I said it was complicated."

"Then _explain_ it to me, Colin," Jamie demanded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I deserve that, don't I?"

"Steve." He said softly.

"There you go bringing him up again when he has nothing to do with this," she said. "He's my best friend, Colin. Not my boyfriend. You are!" Her face fell after her last sentence. "Or was."

"Yeah, which I get but that doesn't mean you aren't happier when your spend time with him than with me." Colin said.

"I just...I don't get it," she muttered. "I don't see what you're seeing."

"I can't even be mad at him." Colin grumbled. "I mean, who can freaking hate the guy? He's _Captain America._ Even if he seemed to make you feel more at home than I can. Or you can talk to him about more than I can, even if that's just because you were both soldiers." Colin said and shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand."

She shook her head, making her way around the couch to stand in front of him. "Is this all really about Steve?" she asked. "Do you feel that threatened by him that you can't take being with me anymore?"

"I don't feel threatened!" Colin groaned as he rubbed his hair from his forehead. "That's not it. I don't feel threatened at all, the guy is great...which kinda pisses me off." he rolled his eyes. "He's perfect but in a way I respect, and he respects our relationship. So no I don't feel threatened but I also don't feel like I fit with you. Not like he does."

"We can fix that; fix this!" she pressed, grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. "I mean, every relationship has issues every once in awhile. This...This is just a bump. Right?"

"It doesn't feel like a bump. And if it means anything this feels like the clearest decision I've made." Colin shrugged.

"What about falling in love with me, then? Was that all just in your head? A _foggy declaration_?"

"No. Don't put words in my mouth." Colin shook his head. "I love you, but it doesn't feel like you love me, not entirely. There are parts of you that you'll never let me see, or let me have."

"Like what?" she demanded. "What haven't I given to you, Colin?"

"You don't think I see or notice when something's wrong? But when I ask you tell me nothing is wrong. It's always _nothing_ with you. And while I know some things are top secret, those aren't the only things that you say aren't a big deal. It's a _compulsion_ with you. Nothing is ever a big deal to you with others. And it pisses me off. You know it does."

"You don't get it," Jamie insisted. "When you've been through war like I have, there is nobody else but yourself. You learn you're alone and nobody's coming to save you. You have to deal with it all on your own."

"Exactly and that's something I'll never get!" Colin said, though his tone wasn't angry just tired.

"I've been trying, really," she said. "I've gotten better with opening up."

"I know, but not with me," Colin pointed out. "Which I understand," he swore to her. "I do. So that's why I can't stay."

"You can't, or you won't," Jamie retorted.

"A little bit of both." He said. "I can't stay for my own good and I won't. I don't expect you to understand fully or to really accept it at first. But I hope after some time, you can see where I'm coming from," Colin said before kissing her forehead and picking up his bag.

Once at the door, Colin glanced back over his shoulder to the frozen brunette. "Goodbye, Jamie."

Jamie dropped to the couch at the sound of the door closing behind him. _Breathe, Jamie, breathe_ , she repeated over and over again to herself as she tried to hold back the tears. _You're okay. You're alive. It's okay_.

This wasn't working whatsoever. She placed her shaking hands over her mouth to muffle the cry that escaped her throat. First Patrick died, and now Colin broke up with her. What was she supposed to feel? She was angry and broken and...lonely. But Colin wasn't there to keep her company. He wouldn't be there whatsoever anymore for her. James was gone. Matt and Foggy were her friends, but they were Colin's friends first. Would they still want her even after he broke up with her? And Steve….

Jamie pulled out her phone and went through her contacts, staring at Steve's number for far longer than her screen liked. It went back to sleep, causing her to have to unlock it once more. As much as it pained her to admit it, Colin was a bit right when it came to part of his defense. Jamie did talk to Steve, and Steve did understand. And Steve did make her happy even without realizing it.

And before she realized what she had done, she had hit Steve's contact and placed the phone to her ear. She waited, biting her lip and sniffling, anxious for the blond to answer.

" _Hey, Jamie, how are you feeling?"_

"Oh, uh," she said, but she had to pause as her voice cracked. "Been better. Been worse. You want to come over tonight?"

" _I've actually got plans at the gym with SHIELD's STRIKE team. Trust exercises and whatnot,"_ he admitted.

"Oh," she muttered. "O-Okay. I, uh, won't bother you then."

" _Now hold on,_ " Steve said. " _What's wrong_?"

"Nothing, just...just a bad day, is all," she admitted.

" _This sounds more than just a bad day_." Steve muttered. There was a pause and some scuffling before he spoke again. " _I'm calling sick. I'll pick up a pie and be there in thirty._ "

"You don't have to do that," Jamie said. "Plus, nobody would believe you got sick."

" _What are they gonna do? Call Captain America out?_ " Steve scoffed. " _Be there in thirty,"_ he repeated. " _Have the movie ready."_

Jamie signed and dropped the phone on the coffee table. She got up and as if in a trance, changed into something more comfortable; a pair of black Brooklyn sweat pants, a black, white and gray Army sweatshirt and a pair of fuzzy gray socks. She pulled her hair back into a messy bun.

After changing, Jamie went over to the movies and stood there, glancing at the titles.

Her eyes went to Dear John, the last movie she had wanted, which just so happened to be with Colin. Colin loved sappy romance movies that made them cry. The tears started to stream down her cheek. She wanted to be distracted. She didn't want to think about the man that had just left her.

She finally settled on _Transformers_. It wasn't necessarily a film Steve needed to catch up on, but more something she wanted to watch to try and feel better. The explosions would distract her well enough. Plus, camaros were hot cars and she loved nice looking cars.

The door opened behind her as she placed the DVD into the player. Steve had been given a key several weeks prior. "They were all out of pepperoni," Steve called out as he took his shoes off at the door. "So I got garlic. I hope you like garlic. I could have gotten hawaiian, but I didn't know if you liked pineapple. And I was kind of worried about the combination to begin with."

"Garlic's fine," she muttered almost too softly for him to hear. She plopped down on the couch, wrapping the blanket around herself and to her chin. Her knees pulled up to her chest. She frantically whipped her tear stained cheeks and hoped she didn't look too much of a mess. She didn't want to worry Steve anymore than he already was.

"Right so...what...uh, what happened?" Steve asked softly as he came in and placed the pizza on the counter.

"You...you remember who Patrick is, right?" she asked, taking the plate with the slice Steve had brought in for her. She didn't even make a move to eat it. "I told you about him?"

"Yeah?" he prompted. "You served with him."

"He died this morning," she informed him. "Car crash in Brussels."

"Oh my god, Jamie I'm so sorry." Steve said sitting down by here after setting the plates and silverware down on the coffee table. He put an arm around her.

"He survived so much and a fucking car crash killed him," she muttered, leaning into his hold. The pizza was placed on the armrest next to her.

"Life's like that sometimes," Steve said nodding. "It sucks but that's how it is." His hand stroked her hair gently, trying to comfort her. "Where's Greer? Working? Have you called him to tell him you're upset?"

Jamie's hand went to his shirt, clutching the fabric tightly as she buried her face further into his shoulder. "H-He left," she muttered, tears falling silently once more.

"Oh...oh um. I-I'm sorry about that too. It must suck getting hit in the heart twice," Steve murmured.

"I just...I thought..." Jamie muttered.

"Yeah...yeah I get it." Steve nodded.

Jamie sighed, looking up at him, her head still on his shoulder. "You always get it," she muttered. _That was what Colin said_. He thought it was all about her military experience and trauma, but it wasn't just though. Steve just generally understood practically everything, at least with her, that was. "Thanks for coming over, Steve. I really appreciate you doing things."

"No problem. What are best friends for?" Steve sighed as he stroked his her hair.

 _Perhaps a lot of what Colin said is true,_ Jamie thought. _Steve does make me happy. Even when i don't want him to_.

* * *

 **Well, a lot of you wanted Collin gone and now he is gone. He's not dead but...Would people hate it if I said he's coming back at some point? Anyway, let e know what you think. There are only two more chapters after this one so...Here's to that!**

Thanks go to the following for their review(s) on the previous chapter(s):

 _ **WickedlyMinx**_ \- Don't worry, there will be. I just figured nobody really cared enough to read about Colin and Jamie's se life. The last chapter has a bit of a treat though, so there's that to look forward to. Other than that last scene, this first part isn't very smutty.

 _ **shugokage**_ \- Yeah, they both care about her, and they're both good guys. When it really matters, they can be realistic and mature and put their own feelings aside. You know?

 _ **Princess Nightmare99** _ \- No, it isn't weird. I'm not going to tell you who it is. That's a very good guess.

 ** _Jesla777_** \- Yeah, i have several variations of Steve's language comment throughout the story. "Language" "Watch your tone" "No need for that" etc. ANd yes! I loooooved Ant-Man. I thought it was hilarious, and that fact that Scott mentioned the Avengers was perfect.

 ** _Fangirling007_** \- No, it didn't happen during Iron Man's time there. Well it happened around the same time, the actual capture, but she was in Qatar and he was in Afghanistan. She returned about two/three months before the start of Avengers. Hope that helps, and if you want the exact timeline of everything, I can give you that. Just let me know.

 ** _Jo_** \- That's a very good guess...Not gonna tel you if it's right or not...but keep that in mind. ;)

 ** _Guest_** \- Well, Colin's gone. Happy? (Wow that sounded meaner than it was supposed to...Read it as curious!)

 _ **nighten-gale1720**_ \- I'm so glad you like it!

 _ **Kirorkat**_ \- Yeah, I just thought it was a nice little element to throw in. It's not a major par to of the story, but I thought it helped with Jamie's development to have her being friends with Johnny.

 _ **Guest**_ : It's lovely to hear from you again!...And, well, this was very soon, wasn't it! And yes, you were exactly right with the jealousy part. It was the major factor, but it was also how he couldn't handle the kind of things he knew she'd end up getting into. I have a coupe different variations of the language comment placed through the story. "Language" "Watch your tone" "No need for that" etc. I won't tell you who the stalker is, but I will tell you Dr. Hull will be returning in the next section of the series... Do with that what you will. ;)

 _ **Knightkawk993**_ \- I know! My plan was to make it as gross as possible...and I hate mustard so of course I had to add it in. Tony's reaction will be in the next chapter, I promise. He'll be in it quite a bit, as well as the rest of the crew. Anyway, I hope you liked it.


	30. Party Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel, Avengers, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, etc. Just Jamie.**

* * *

Chapter 30  
Party Time

"Okay, so here's the plan," Johnny muttered to her, as they sat in the back of the limo waiting in the long line of other limos to be dropped off at the fundraiser. "You're my wing-woman."

"Am I?" Jamie chuckled, crossing her legs with a bit of difficulty in her dress. The dress she had gotten for this particular event was a long black dress with a ruched bodice. There were short sleeves and a boat neckline with illusion lace detail. A very elegant dress required an elegant bun on the back of her head, with dark makeup that wasn't overpowering, but dark enough to highlight her light blue eyes.

"Are you saying that you can't pick up girls on your own anymore, Johnny?" she teased. "I have to say, I'm highly disappointed in you!"

"Right," Johnny said. "Laugh it up, but girls will eat up the fact that one of my friends is an Avenger!"

"And being a member of the Fantastic 4 isn't good enough?" she inquired.

"Hey, we rock, but the Avengers are still hot on the press right now," Johnny informed her. "Keep up with all this, girl. You'll need to know it. After all, you're a celebrity now."

"Celebrity?" Jamie gaped. "Nah-uh. No way. I am not a celebrity. I'm just Jamie, a Baxter Building security guard."

"Please, you're only fooling yourself. I mean, they may not know your name now, but they will eventually. Trust me. None of this stays hidden forever. And it's not like you wear a mask or anything. So who are you really kidding?"

"Maybe I'll just have to change that, then," she said. "Not that I've really gotten a job offer or anything to go and do what Steve does, but if we ever _do_ have to fight again, maybe a mask isn't the worst idea. I like my private life private."

Johnny scoffed and shook his head, running a single hand through his hair messing up to a perfect degree. "Right, because coming out with me definitely keeps you out of the public eye."

"Hey, they never figured out my name or who I was and that I worked for you so for the most part I was completely out of the press," she pointed out.

"Only a matter of time, Jamie. Only a matter of time," Johnny answered.

"I'll have to disagree with you on that one, Mr. Storm," she muttered, looking at the window as they pulled up to the entrance. "Ladies first," Jamie teased, letting him get out of the limo first.

The flashes from the cameras was even worse this time around. Jamie didn't know if it was because they knew Tony was there, and since Tony was an Avenger now, was much bigger news. But someone could have leaked that the other Avengers would be there as well. All she knew was that the flashes were blinding her and giving her a massive headache.

Jamie ducked her head and made her way inside, pulling Johnny with her, who just smiled and waved at everybody. He was eating all of it up, much to her dismay. She had no idea why she agreed to this anymore!

"Okay, so here's the plan," Johnny said, stopping her just inside the building.

"We need a plan?" Jamie asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, if I can't get a girl then you're my way home! Make it look like I haven't lost my touch!" Johnny said.

"You are such man whore," she laughed.

"I like women, what can I say?" he chuckled back.

"Whatever, go pick up someone easy!" Jamie said, waving him off with an eyeroll.

"Hey, I'm glad you came," he told her, kissing her cheek before departing.

Jamie just rolled her eyes, wondering just what to do with herself now that she was alone. She supposed she could go find Tony, but she had no idea if he was even there yet. Or Pepper for that matter. Didn't Steve say the whole team was supposed to be there? Was Nat or Clint there yet? What about Bruce?

Speaking of the good doctor there he was by the drinks, obviously avoiding everyone. He may have been avoiding everyone, but he and Jamie got along. Perhaps her company would be appreciated. If not, she would simply leave him alone, but they wouldn't know if that were the case until she tried.

She made her way over, very carefully in the heals she had on, and grabbing herself a bottle of water. "Doesn't really seem like your kind of place, Dr. Banner," she said, smirk gracing her lips.

"Cause it's not." Bruce sighed slightly. "But someone always bends my arm until I promise to be here."

"I take it Tony was behind that," Jamie assumed.

"He always is, is he the reason you're here or are you taking pity on Steve and are here to protect him?" Bruce chuckled.

"C, None of the above, actually," she answered. "Johnny gets me conned into doing these things."

"Ah, unexpected third party." Bruce nodded slowly. "Sorry you couldn't escape. You could have broken the rest of us out of here."

"Right, because Tony would allow that to happen," she scoffed.

"Uh by the way avoid Tony," Bruce warned here taking a long drink.

"Why?" she asked.

"There's my Solace!"

"Speak of the devil…" Bruce muttered.

Jamie didn't need to turn around at all. Everybody there knew the sound of his voice; whether that was a good or a bad thing was very particular to each individual. For Jamie, it wasn't all that bad, actually. She liked Tony. He was an annoyance at time, but after what he did for them in New York, which she watched on the news seeing as she had been dead at the time, he was definitely okay in her books.

"Tony," she greeted, turning around with a smile on her lips.

He looked very accustomed, though not particularly at ease in his suit. What was unusual though was the bouquet of flowers in his hands. They were red roses, very expensive looking with about two dozen of the dethorned plants in there.

"Did you bring flowers for Pepper?" she asked.

"Yes and no," he said. "I gave her some earlier, but these are for you."

"Me?" she gaped, eyes shifting from the flowers to his eyes. "Why did you get me flowers?"

"Little birdy told me you were in the hospital," he said. "Glad you're feeling better." He held out the flowers to her to take, a smirk in place.

"That's so sweet of you, Tony," she said. "Thank you." Jamie reached out to receive the flowers. However, right before she had them, he shifted and moved them away from her. "Uh, Tony?" she asked.

"You failed to notify me that you were in the hospital though," he said. "I found out from Pepper, who found out from Bruce, who found out from Natasha," he added. "I'm hurt you didn't tell me yourself, Sparky! So no flowers for you!"

Jamie just chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me you actually care. Tony?"

"Of course I care! What made you think I didn't!" Tony wailed. "You wound me even more!"

"Controversy, you love it," she chuckled, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm flattered though."

"Fine, you can have one," he told her, pulling one rose out. "But that's it!"

"Oh, that's very generous," she muttered, a roll of her blue eyes following. She took it off the stem and placed it in her hair above her ear.

"Well I can't disappoint the ladies now can I? Even ones who pissed me off."

"Well, you'll be disappointing this lady if you don't let me take away Jamie for a couple minutes."

Jamie jumped and spun around, rolling her ankle in her heels, causing her to trip into Bruce. He steadied her with an amused smirk. "Jeez, Natasha, we need to get you a bell or something," she muttered.

Natasha just smiled. She knew that was a compliment for their line of work. "Would you excuse us?" she asked, pulling Jamie away.

Jamie followed her away towards the a small sitting area. "I'm surprised to see you here,"

"Why?" Natasha asked her with a tilt of her head.

"You're a spy and there are a lot of cameras here," she clarified.

"Well, I deserve to have a little fun. Not to mention poor Bruce." Natasha chuckled.

Jamie just chuckled and smile. "We can definitely agree on that," she said. "So, why'd you pull me away?" Jamie asked.

"I have an offer for you," Nat said. "Brought to me by Fury himself."

"An offer?" she asked, though she was pretty sure she knew where this was going. After all, her powers were back. "Like, a job offer?"

"The very kind," She said with a smile. "It's in DC."

"Oh," she muttered. "So, the Triskelion? What'll I be doing?"

"It's primarily solo work," she said. "But I suppose there is could be joint tasks."

"Anything you can give me on exactly what I'll be doing though?" she fished.

"No," Natasha stated firmly. "I can tell you the job pays substantially less than your job at the Ba-"

"I'll do it," Jamie blurted out before she could finish.

"Oh...Um, Are you sure I haven't even told you the pros and cons yet." Not blinked at her

"They're not all that different that those from the military," Jamie said. "And I like my job here, but I, uh, I really miss the bigger stuff," she stated.

"Well then, I will bring the paper work by later." Natasha chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan," Jamie said. "Thanks, Nat," she said. "You have no idea how much I needed that."

"Oh, I think I do," she smirked.

"What do you mean?" she asked a bit nervously. What did the spy know?

"Steve took a job in DC right?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

Jamie gulped. Yes, Steve would be moving in a bit. She was helping him pack and set up his apartment. "Yeah, not it's only a couple hours drive from here to there," Jamie said. "It' not like we wouldn't see each other."

"I know but still a few hours is a few hours from the guy to love." Natasha smirked.

Jamie's eyes widened, her face blushing deeply almost to march the color of her lipstick. "Love?" she gaped, her stomach dropping what felt like fifteen feet. Her fingers started to tap against her water bottle and she felt like she needed to take a step outside to cool herself down. Why was it so hot in there? "Nat, I have no idea where you're getting your information from, but I'm not in love with him."

"Like you said, I'm a spy dear, I am the information." Natasha said. "And I'm rarely wrong."

"Well, you're wrong now because I am _not_ in love with S-"

"Hey Jamie," Steve said as he approached through the crowd.

She cut herself off, her face even more red. SHe did turn and smile towards him, greeting him as if the conversation they had just been having hadn't taken place. "Hi, Steve!"

"Hey how are you doing?" Steve asked giving her a hug and kiss on her head.

"Good," she answered. "How about you? I know you don't like these things."

"I'm doing pretty good this time around." Steve smiled at her.

"At least we have each other to keep company," she said. "Last time I was on my own."

"If you'll excuse me," Natasha said, giving Jamie a smirk, patting Steve on the shoulder before walking away.

"Hey how are you really doing?"Steve asked her softly as he took Nat's spot. "I know it's been hard with me leaving an all."

Jamie shrugged. "It's okay," she said. "Really, the hardest part is just being alone at night. It's not a big deal, but it's comforting just having someone else there, even if you can protect yourself. But I'm okay."

"You can always come stay with me during the weekend if it bugs you so much..." Steve trailed off in worry.

"Steve, honey, I'm okay," she assured him, placing a grateful hand on his arms. "But it means a lot that you offered."

"That's what friends are for," he told her.

Bruce and Natasha were talking over at the drinks, though they had no idea what they were talking about. Pepper and Tony were dancing and she laughed at something he said to her. Jamie was a little worried to know what it was. After all, Tony was Tony. Though, then again, Pepper was Pepper and she could handle Tony very well.

"She is perfect for him," Jamie said out of the blue. Steve followed her gaze over to the couple.

"Tony has the most successful relation of anyone I know. With a wonderful woman. Which, honestly, is still a mystery to me. Like, was it a hypnosis accident, where the put Pepper under and in love with Tony and never said that magic word to snap her out of it? Like, if I say "nutmeg" will she wake up and start screaming?"

Jamie couldn't contain her laughter. "Your sense of humor has definitely started catching up with the times," she said.

"Things are changing," he said.

Jamie nodded. She had to agree. "Yeah, and I think, for the most part, it's all for the better."

* * *

 **I lied, there's only really one chapter left. The next chapter concludes this, and also has a sneak peak of some of the things for the next installment. All the information for the next part will be in that last chapter. And when that chapter is posted, so will the next installment.**

(I really hate when I type a whole thing out here and then I press a wrong button and it all disappears so I have to rewrite everything all over again...I mean, I had practically all the reviews replied to already! UH...okay, that was my rant for the day!)

Thanks to the following for their reviews:

 _ **WickedlyMinx**_ \- this story is ending, yes, but there is another part that goes into Cap 2, so the series is not over. I promise. It'll go on like this for the rest of the series. Each actual movie has it's own separate part (for example, Avengers 1- Solace, Cap. 2 - Condolence, Avengers 2- Constancy and so on...though I may have just messed up the titles for the last two...anyway, that's the gist.)

 _ **Princess Nightmare99**_ \- I'm glad you find it bitter sweet. I mean, I love Colin and I don't want people to hate him. But yeah, this def. leads Steve and Jamie in to their relationship much more. So I totally feel ya!

 _ **Mi-chan1991**_ \- Yes, Colin did have his backs packed before she got there, but he wasn't going to leave without telling her. I promise you that. He just wanted to avoid that awkward packing up period right after the breakup. He thought it would be best to pack, wait for her on the couch and then talk to her once she got home before leaving. I hope that makes you feel a little bit better about him. I love Colin and I hate that I had to do this with them, but for the sake of the pairing of the story I had to! Plus, it was a bunch of development stuff that also pushes Steve and Jamie together so...Anyway, hope this helps a bit!

 _ **Jo** _ \- I know, it seems like it went by so fast, didn't it?

 _ **Knighthawk993**_ \- Don't worry, Jamie won't be too sad for too long. I don't want to drag it out...Plus, who can really be sad when Steve is around? Yes, there will be another part coming up for Cap 2. It will be posted right after the last chapter of this is posted so if people want they can go right into reading it.

 _ **Jelsa777**_ \- I know, I totally agree with you. I love Colin, but he was there primarily for development purposes, though he will be showing up again later, I assure you. But I do love Steve and Jamie together. I wish Jamie was in the movies too! But that might just because she's my character...And no, Patricks death will be brought up again. As you already know, Jamie doesn't think it makes sense so you also got that right on the head!

 _ **TMG4899**_ \- Don't worry, Jamie won't be sad for long. She's got Steve, after all. (but I totally agree with you on the morons part!) Oh, and don't worry. There will be a very nice Tony moment in the next chapter that made me laugh while writing it! And I have plans for a bit of a heartbreaking part for when the events of Iron Man 3 happen, so there's that to look forward to. Oh, and Colin will be showing up again! And I am not telling what's going to happen with that (or if Steve is going to beat the snot out of him...) But poor Colin. Don't torture him too bad!

 _ **shugokage**_ \- I'm so glad you liked it. Hope you're looking forward to the next part for Cap 2!

'CJ/OddBall' or 'Anonymous Guest- I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use...so like the weirdo I am I just used both... Anyway, you're right. It really isn't Jamie's day! And exactly, Steve is right there for her and this will bring them closer together...smell romance in the air anyone?...No? Patricks crash will be brought up again you cleaver little thing! But I'm not telling why or how. ;)

 _ **LateNightOwl**_ (Ch. 27 - 94)- Yeah, and that'll still be a problem to come, so you'll just have to be tortured by more flowers! Mwahahah.


	31. Last Night

**Disclaimer: I do no own Marvel, the Avengers, Fantastic 4, etc. Just Jay.**

* * *

Chapter 31  
Last Night

The kitchen smelled extraordinary as Jamie stood over the stove cooking the peppers and onions while the chicken finished up inside the oven. She was almost finished, the table was already set and the wine had already been poured in a single glass, while another had water. It was just waiting to be drank when the food was done.

Jamie pulled the chicken out of the oven and put the tray on the pot holder on the counter next to her. She put two rather large pieces of chicken on the two plates before turning back to the side still cooking on the oven.

The sound of the door opening and closing cut through the sound of sizzling of the side dishes and footsteps echoed as they approached her. As she focused on the meal two long and strong looking arms encircled her waist and lips pressed to the skin beneath her ear.

Jamie tilted her head to the side enjoying the feeling as she hummed in delight. "Just in time for dinner, Hon," she said.

"Perfectly, Doll." Steve said turning her around to press a loving kiss to her lips, his hand touching her cheek, the light glinting off a gold band around his finger.

Jamie couldn't contain her smile as she kissed him back, leaning closer to him. "How was work?" she asked, taking the food off. She turned the burner off and moved to put a healthy share of them on the plates.

"The usual," Steve sighed. "I get tired of the usual 'take over the world plots,'" he chuckled. "They're so predictable nowadays"

"Well, that's a relief," Jamie said, picking up the plates and leading him to the dining room. "I mean, have to have you coming home now, don't we?"

"Oh no," Steve smiled kissing her cheek. "Why would I ever want to do that?" He bent down, both hands pressed to her rounded stomach. "I can't abandon the two of you, can I?"

"No, we can't have that," she said, pulling him back up to his feet for another kiss. "Did you think of any other names while you were at work?" she asked, sitting down to eat.

"Well, maybe Sarah for a girl?"

"After your mother?" she asked. "I like that."

"Yeah, I want a bit of her with us, since she never got to meet you." Steve smiled sitting across from her.

"I bet I would have loved her," Jamie said. "How about Joseph, or Everett for a boy? Keep sentimentality."

"She would have loved you." Steve smiled nodded at the names. "Both would satisfy me. I mean I'm getting a child, something I never thought possible."

"You and me both, Steve," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too Jamie, you've given me the best life possible." Steve replied.

* * *

The screams were what woke Jamie from her odd dream. The famous stabbing shower scene from Psycho played on her television as her and Steve spent Halloween together sitting on her couch catching him up on the best/worst horror movies. Steve was looking at the television with narrowed eyes, with a slightly uncomfortable expression on his face.

Jamie groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She had fallen asleep. She had been fighting to stay awake all evening, and she felt horrible for not being able to give Steve and the movies her full attention. Now, however, she was wide awake and oh so very confused about her dream.

Her and Steve married with a baby on the way? In love? She glanced at Steve. It all just seemed so unreal, so impossible and not practical with their lines of work. And all of that with Steve? Her best friend?

Yes, she found Steve extremely attractive and honestly, who wouldn't? He was tall with beautiful blue eyes and a sweet boyish smile. His muscles were to die for and he looked like one of those male models in all the magazines. She would have to be a lesbian not to be attracted to him.

And he was the sweetest guy she had ever met. He was kind and patient and he had such strong morals. Steve always made her laugh when she needed it, and he always brought a smile to her face. He stood for something, good things. He was incredible, but he wasn't perfect and he had his insecurities. He was human and that was one of the best parts about him.

He was all those things, but Jamie didn't… _.Oh who the hell am I kidding, I just outright admitted it in my list of denials_. She sighed again, rubbing her eyes once more _. I like Steve_.

"You okay?" a sleepy voice asked, seeing the scream had woken her up.

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah," she answered, her cheeks heating up. "W-Weird dream, is all." "Wanna talk about it?" He asked her concerned.

"No!" she answered a bit too quickly and forcefully.

"O-Okay," Steve said quickly his hands going in the air. "O-Okay you don't have too."

Jamie chuckled, relaxing a bit more. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she said. "It wasn't a bad dream, just weird…."

"Everyone has those kinds of dreams once in awhile." Steve chuckled too.

"Really? Care to elaborate?" she asked, sitting back right next to Steve, turning her body so that she was facing Steve.

"I had a dream once that I was a monkey on a unicycle, and people were throwing me bananas," he said.

"Really?" she giggled. "That is a bit….weird."

"Yeah, I wasn't, all that happy during those days." Steve smiled slightly.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his closest to you as if giving him a small comforting hug. "I'm sorry," she told him.

"It's okay, I'm happy now." He assured.

Jamie didn't know how she would have been able to handle not having Steve around like this once he moved. Fortunately the paperwork was now all taken care of so that she would also be starting her job At SHIELD about December's time. She was originally going to wait until Thanksgiving to tell him, but she didn't like keeping things from him.

"Steve?" she asked. absentmindedly. "I've gotta tell you something."

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"SHIELD offered me a job," she told him. "I said yes."

"Oh...are you going farther away?" steve asked.

"Well, DC," she told him. "I'm being assigned DC."

Steve looked at her for a moment before smiling brightly and giving her a tight hug. "That's amazing!"

Jamie laughed, hugging back. "I was hoping that would be your reaction," she said.

"Of course, what else would my reaction have been?" he laughed.

Jamie didn't have an answer to that. "So, I'm going to have to steal you for a weekend to pack next month. Dinner will be on me!"

"You've got yourself a deal!" he exclaimed, leaving his arm around her shoulders.

Jamie snuggled further into his side, her head still resting on his shoulder. "I would have really missed this," she muttered softly.

"Same here," Steve sighed with her,

* * *

 **I still hope everybody reviews before going over to reading Condolence! And thanks go to the following people for their reviews for the last chapter:**

 _ **Jelsa777**_ \- Ah, Johnny's not losing her. He doesn't really show up much in the next part, but he does get mentions. Actually, there is a small part with him in it in Chapter 2, that I just wrote. And I sooooo loved when I came up with that idea with Tony. I really did. I couldn't stop laughing. I'm really glad you liked it then. I always aim to please with his scenes for you.

 _ **anonymus**_ \- I'm sorry to say that I will be sticking close to the movie, though the movie doesn't end up coming up until the 8th chapter, I believe. Some things will change, however, and she won't be in the whole moving. Actually a good portion of it she's not in it.

 _ **shugokage**_ \- I was really worried with how little I had of Nat in this because she plays a bigger part in the next story, but I think this kind of introduces her well.

 _ **LateNightOwl**_ \- I actually took that line from Chris Evans. Yeah, Jamie had been fooling herself, now she's just going to try and ignore her feelings and pretend they're not there.

 _ **Oddball**_ \- You and me both. I'm a total tomboy too, and I hate pink. But enough about me! Johnny doesn't go completely away, he will have a couple lines in...Chapter 2, I believe in the next coming story, and probably a meet up here or there. That's exactly why I had him in there. I mean, I almost based the Colin after Chris Evans in _Snowpiercer_ as well as him in What's Your Number...I mean, his name is Colin (What's your number) Curtis (Snow*). In the end i didn't have him look like him though. He looks more like Jamie Reagan from Blue Bloods...Buts still! Little tidbit there...Natasha is sneaky, and I do have plans along those lines for the next part with her. How'd you know! ;) Hey, I'm shorter than you so you're not short! I'm 5'3", almost 4" but still short! I mean, my dad is 6'3"! Why couldn't I get some of his tall genes? Uh, anyway, you're review made me laugh and I look forward to hearing more from you! Hope you like the new story!

 ** _Knighthawk993_** \- Of course! Natasha knows everything. And Steve, as usual, is oblivious to stuff like that. It HAS gone by fast! I can't believe it! But the there is still so much more to come and the journey is far from over!

 ** _Jo_** \- I know, but there is a lot to look forward to! Hope you like what's to come!

* * *

 **Sneak Peak**

* * *

"Are you nuts?"

" _I don't know, you tell me_ ," Steve chuckled.

"Yes, you are insane and should be institutionalized," she stated, opening another box. "Ah! Gotcha you little bast-"

" _Hey now, keep it clean_ ," Steve chuckled.

* * *

"Taylor," she introduced. "Dr. Taylor Malone, Miracle Performer."

"Private Jameson Roe," Jamie informed her. "Uh, Soldier SHIELD Avenger?"

"More like walking-talking lightbulb," Taylor scoffed tossing the troll doll up and catching it.

"I'm not a _lightbulb_ ," Jamie said. "And I don't _glow_ ," she insisted.

"You kinda do," Taylor said motioning to her computer.

"I do not!"

* * *

"What I want isn't the point," Jamie said quickly. "I mean, Steve's my best friend. And he's also the team leader. We work together. Plus, I really don't see where you get that he's into me."

"Because he shot down every other girl I suggested out right, except for you. When I said he made time to watch movies with you he simply said 'don't go there." Nat said.

"Well," Jamie muttered. "Listen to him. Don't go there."

* * *

"Believe what you like," he said. "But now I have use for you. And by the end of that, you will be broken. I will break you, girl."

* * *

"Oh! Well, it's just a bunch of cute fan drawings and stuff, a few stories here and there. You know, normal fan stuff." Taylor shrugged. "Just don't look it up, it will warp you seeing your life being dictated by fans. Like, they think your real name is something like Solicia or that Solace is your _actual_ name. Some think you're an alien."

"Really? They _seriously_ think that?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, I mean they don't know anything about you, other than your codename and that you're an Avenger," Taylor told her.

"Well, is the fanart cute, at least?" she asked.

"Some."

* * *

 **The next chapter is _Condolence_. Please leave a review here telling me what you think! Ad come check out the next part that takes place during Winter Soldier!**


	32. Sequel: Condolence

The sequel for Solace is now up under Condolence! Go and continue the journey there!


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